Secret Heart
by Lilly-sama
Summary: A retelling of Gohan and Videl's love story. Kind of a rewrite of what happens in Dragon Ball Z some time after Gohan starts going to Orange Star High and meets Videl. And it all begins because of a stolen kiss neither of them expected to ever happen...
1. Chapter 1

**Lilly-sama: This fic is actually the english version of my french fanfic "Coeur Secret". It is my second english fanfic, the first one is in my other account "Kisa-kun". Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this fanfic, and that I didn't do too much spelling mistakes... And don't forget to review!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 1**

Videl kept her eyes fixed on the young man's ones, making him somewhat nervous. But he resisted, not giving in. He mustn't give in, even if he was dying to.

"What are you hiding, Son Gohan?"

_Secret heart  
__What are you made of?  
__What are you so afraid of?_

He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head – a habit he inherited from his father.

"I don't hide anything, Videl. Where does that come from?"

She narrowed her eyes even more, as she kept her glare fixed on him, making him more and more nervous.

"Stop playing dumb with me. I know you're hiding something. And trust me, I will find out what."

With those words, she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Gohan alone in the now empty corridors of Orange Star High School. He sighed of relief at seeing her leave.

_Could it be  
__Three simple words  
__Or the fear of being overheard  
__What's wrong?_

Gohan tried to ignore Videl's glare, without much success. Why was she so determined to discover his secrets? And just how could she be so sure he has secrets? Okay, he had jumped really high in his first day, during PE, but it wasn't that extraordinary, was that?

He sighed. _It's too bad that the only thing that interests her in me is my secrets_, he thought sadly. _But I can't tell her. She will think I'm a freak._

_Let her in on your secret heart_

Videl could see that she was making him nervous by glaring at him like this, and she smiled inwardly. It wouldn't be long before he would give in. He'd eventually tell her his secrets.

This guy had immediately intrigued her. He was so mysterious… And he was hiding something, of that she was sure.

_Secret Heart  
__Why so mysterious  
__Why so sacred  
__Why so serious_

If there was one thing she hated in people, it was that they were hiding things from her. It was for that reason that she refused to become close to him. But it wasn't that easy. He was so kind… And it wasn't a fake kindness, trying to get to her father by being king to her. No. He, he was naturally kind.

And, well… He was kind of cute.

Videl blushed at her own thoughts, then shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? Satan Videl didn't find a boy _cute_. Satan Videl was strong, and certainly didn't need a _boy_.

_Maybe you're  
__Just acting tough  
__Maybe you're just not bad enough  
__What's wrong?_

The bell rang, announcing the end of the classes, and it was with a sigh of relief that Gohan hastily put his things in his bag, then he got out of the classroom also in a hurry, glad to be able to escape from Videl.

But the young girl wasn't going to give up any time soon, and followed him out of school. He noticed her, of course, able to sense her Ki following him in the streets of Satan City.

_Why can't she leave me alone? _He asked himself.

_Let her in on your secret heart_

He let out a deep sigh, leaning against a tree.

"Videl, you can come out, I know you're here."

Videl was more than surprised that he noticed she was following him. She was certain she had been very discrete. She came out from behind the wall she was hiding at, a bit ashamed at being discovered.

"How did you know that I was following you?" She asked.

"Why were you following me?" He asked in turn, his tone weary, ignoring her question.

She decided to tell him the truth. "I wanted to know how you do to come and go to school everyday."

He shook his head, piqued. "You don't think it would have been easier to just ask me?"

She seemed surprised. "You mean… You would have told me?"

For any answer, he took out a capsule, pushed the button and thrown it, creating a cloud of smoke. Once dissipated, they could see that a red Jet Copter had appeared.

Gohan thanked Bulma inwardly to have offered him this Jet Copter on his birthday. He hoped that now Videl wouldn't have suspicion on him anymore. He had to absolutely keep his secrets, even if deep down, he wanted just one thing: tell her everything, once and for all.

But he couldn't. Like he couldn't tell her his feeling for her.

_This very secret  
__That you're trying to conceal  
__Is the very same one  
__You're dying to reveal  
__Go tell her how you feel_

It was so ironic. Of all girls, he had to fall in love with _her_. Mister Satan's daughter. The one who stole his credit for killing Cell. Not that it mattered to him. He didn't want the glory and the celebrity. He was happy living quietly with his family, in his little home in the mountains.

Videl's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"So, you have a Jet Copter. But that doesn't tell me what are yours others secrets."

"Videl, for the last time, I _don't_ have secrets. Really."

She sighed. "You know, it's really a pity. If you weren't such a liar, we could've been friends."

_Maybe even more_, she added inwardly.

_Secret heart, come out and share it  
__This loneliness, few can bear it_

"Why do you want so much to know my secrets?" He asked.

"Then you admit you do have secrets."

He hesitated, then sighed. "Yes."

She came near him, making him more than uncomfortable. "Then, what do you say to share them with me? I can keep a secret, you know."

He blushed at their proximity, looking away. "I… I can't."

"Why not?"

Was it him or was it really warm suddenly? "Because I can't."

She frowned, not happy that she didn't get the answer she was waiting for. But she wasn't going to give up.

"Why can't you? It would relieve you to share your secrets with someone, and I ready to listen."

_Could it have something to do with  
__Admitting that you just can't go through it alone  
__Let her in on your secret heart_

Seeing that he wasn't saying anything, she decided to be straight.

"Are you Saiyaman?"

He sighed. She still suspected him to be the super hero. What did he have to do so she wouldn't suspect him anymore?

"No Videl, I'm not Great Saiyaman." He hated to lie, especially to her, but he didn't have a choice, so he continued: "I don't even know how to fight, then doing the things he does…"

"Really?"

"Yes Videl, really. You've got the wrong person."

"Then why do you get out of class, pretending to go to the toilet, every time that the police calls me?" She asked.

"Coincidence?" He tried, more and more nervous.

"I don't think so."

He was starting to sweat, especially since she was still very close to him, making him more and more uncomfortable.

"Look at the time! I have to go Videl, or else my mother's going to get worried." He said, getting ready to climb on his Jet Copter. But he wasn't counting on Videl, who took his arm, stopping him.

"Not so fast, Gohan. I'm not finished with you yet."

"Videl, I really have to go. Please let go of me."

"No, I said I wasn't finished with you. I have a few more questions for you."

_This very secret  
__That you're trying to conceal  
__Is the very same one  
__That you're dying to reveal  
__Go tell her how you feel_

Gohan didn't know what to do. He needed a distraction. Something to distract her long enough so he could climb on his Jet Copter and run away from here. Then he got an idea. It was very risky, and she would surely kill him tomorrow, but oh well. He had to escape at any cost.

So, taking her by surprise, he pulled her to him… and kissed her. Videl's eyes were wide open so much she was surprised, she didn't expect that at all. Then, she closed them, and responded to the kiss, which quite surprised Gohan. He really didn't think that she would respond to his kiss. But he decided to take advantage of it, and kept kissing her, wrapping his arms around her waist, as she wrapped hers around his neck. After a while, they started to need air, and had to stop. They didn't say a thing for a while, eyes still closed, panting. And then, taking advantage that Videl was still in a 'trance' like state, Gohan moved away from her, and climbed hastily on his Jet Copter, taking off in a hurry.

_This very secret  
__Go out and share it  
__This very secret_

The sound of the take off seemed to 'wake up' Videl, and she blinked several times, seeing Gohan's Jet Copter fly away hurriedly. She then realized what had just happened, and clenched her fists in her rage.

"Son Gohan, I'm going to kill you!!"

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lilly-sama: I decided to do a continuation, on a friend request. Hope you'll like it.**

* * *

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 2**

Furious, Videl slammed her bedroom's door shut.

"That asshole!" She cursed. "How dare he steal my first kiss?! And to escape, on top of that! I hate him!"

She wanted to break everything in sight, so much she was furious, but held herself, knowing that her father wouldn't be very happy had she done that. Instead, she collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She touched her lips, thinking about the kiss they had shared.

_My first kiss… _She thought. _I'd never have thought that it would happen like that, and especially, I'd never have thought that it would be with him! I can't believe that he dared to kiss me! _She sighed_. But… I have to admit… It wasn't so bad…_

_It was great, you mean,_ an annoying little voice in her mind whispered.

Videl blushed, but didn't deny it. She would never have imagined that Gohan could kiss that good. She wondered if that was his first kiss, too.

_Probably not. _She thought.

She didn't know why, but the idea of him kissing other girls irritated her. She shook her head, dispelling those stupid thoughts from her mind. She had far more important things to think about. Like, for example, how she was going to kill Gohan.

* * *

Gohan had abandoned his Jet Copter and was now flying by himself, a unique thought crossing his mind:

_I'm sooo dead._

What the hell has got to him to kiss her? Now, for sure, she was really going to kill him. He swallowed. Why the hell did he do that?

_Because you were dying to_, a voice in his mind murmured.

He sighed. It was true that he had wanted to kiss her for awhile now, but to actually do it…

_You're not going to tell me that you regret, are you?_ That same voice asked him.

_Of course I do!_ Gohan replied, not realizing that he was talking to himself. _She's going to kill me now!_

_But it was worth it, wasn't it?_

Gohan blushed intensely, but said nothing. That kiss had really been incredible. He would never have imagined that he would have one day the chance to kiss the girl of his dream. And that she would respond. He still couldn't believe that she had responded to his kiss.

But that doesn't prevent that she was going to kill him!

* * *

Videl was venting on her punching bag, frustrated by all the day's events.

"Asshole! Bastard! Jerk!" She cursed, while giving blows in her punching bag. "Coward! I hate you!"

"Well, I wouldn't want to be in the place of the one that got you that mad!"

Videl stopped her assault of blows, and turned toward Erasa who had just spoken, taking her breath

"Erasa, how did you got in?" The young brunette asked, her breathing calming down.

"Mina let me in." The blond explained. "Now, why don't you tell me what's gotten you that mad?"

Videl blushed just thinking about it, and unfortunately for her, Erasa noticed it.

"Oh my God! You're blushing! Is it about Gohan?" She asked, overexcited.

Videl stared at her with a surprised expression on her face. How the heck had she guessed?

"So? Am I right? It's about Gohan, isn't it? What happened? Tell me everything! I want to know everything!"

Videl sighed, sitting on the ground. Erasa joined her on the ground, waiting impatiently for her friend's answer. This one sighed again.

"Yes, you're right; it is about Gohan." She finally said.

"I knew it! Only Gohan is able to make you blush!"

Videl blushed again. "What are you talking about, Erasa?"

"Well, it's obvious that you have a crush on him!"

Videl blushed even more, although it was impossible to tell if it was in anger or embarrassement. "That's bullshit! I don't have a crush on him at all! He's just a liar! And a coward! I could never have a crush on a guy like him!"

Erasa lifted a brow. "Really? Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing! I'm red from anger!"

The young blond shrugged. "If you say so. So, tell me, what happened with Gohan?"

Videl blushed again, and this time it wasn't in anger. She looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said.

"What? Not even to me?"

"It's… embarrassing…"

"What, did he kiss you or something?" Erasa joked.

Videl blushed even more, still not looking at her, not responding. Erasa's eyes widened, taking her silence as an affirmative answer.

"He… really did… kiss you?" She asked slowly.

Videl bit her lip, then, nodded her head slowly.

"Oh my God! I can't believe it! How did it happen?"

Videl clenched her fists, her anger coming back. "That idiot kissed me to distract me, so he could escape!"

Erasa blinked several times. "…What?"

"You heard me! He kissed me so he could escape! That coward!"

"I would never have thought that of him…" Erasa said, coming out slowly of her choc. Then she smirked. "So, how was it? Is Gohan a good kisser?"

Videl blushed yet again, thinking about the kiss, but didn't respond.

"Come on, tell me…" Erasa insisted. "How does Gohan kiss?"

Videl sighed, her cheeks still as red, and resigned herself to tell her best friend.

"He kisses… very well."

Erasa had hearts where her eyes should be. "Really? That guy is definitely perfect! You're so lucky!"

Videl crossed her arms. "I don't see where I'm so lucky."

"Well, that a guy like him is madly in love with you!" Erasa replied, as if it was the most evident thing in the world.

Videl felt the warmth that began to become familiar to her invade her cheeks. "…What?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"What are you talking about, Erasa? Gohan, in love with me? Why would he be? All I do is harass him so he would tell me his secrets."

"Yeah, and talking about it, why do you want so much to know his secrets? Everyone has a right to have secrets, after all."

"Because! And it's not the subject anyway!"

"That's right. The subject is that Gohan is in love with you, and you didn't even notice it!"

"That's bullshit. Gohan _can't_ be in love with me."

"Really? Then why would he kiss you?"

"I told you why: he kissed me so he could escape."

"I don't think it's the only reason."

Videl was tired of this discussion and decided to end it. She got up from the ground.

"Well, I have to train now."

Erasa sighed, then got up in her turn, knowing that it was pointless to argue with Videl.

"As you wish."

* * *

In his Great Saiyaman outfit, Gohan was flying toward his school, dreading the moment though unavoidable that he would have to face Videl.

_Calm down,_ He told himself. _You're a Saïya-jin, aren't you? What could she do to you, after all? You don't have to be afraid._

This didn't really reassure him. He continued his way toward Orange Star High School, more and more nervous. Finally, he landed on the school's roof, then, making sure that he was alone on the roof, pushed the little red button on his watch, returning to his high school clothes. He then got out of the roof, entering the school, and went down the stairs which leaded to the corridors. He focused his sense a few moments, those telling him that Videl was already here. He sighed, and walked toward his locker, knowing that he would meet her on his way.

When he saw her, he immediately contracted, and unconsciously thought about the kiss, making him blush. He shook his head, trying to dispel this thought from his mind, then walked toward his locker, hoping that she wouldn't notice him.

"Son Gohan!"

It was too much to ask, it seems.

Slowly, he turned round, facing up a very angry Videl, and his hand automatically shot up to scratch the back of his head.

"He-Hey Videl." He stammered, starting to sweat.

She clenched her fists, having a hard time to contain her anger in front of him. She really wanted to punch him in the face for what he did.

"Listen, Videl," He started. "I really sorry for…" He blushed. "…You know… But I couldn't find any other way… Please don't kill me…"

"So you… you-know-what only so you could escape?"

_No, in fact__ I love you Videl, and I've been dying to kiss you for a very long time now._ He replied inwardly. He shook his head, dispelling this thought from his mind. He couldn't tell her _that_!

"Well? I'm waiting!" She said.

He was embarrassed, rubbing his neck. "I…"

Right on cue, the bell rang, announcing the beginning of class. Gohan sighed in relief.

"Err see you in class, Videl." He said, getting ready to dash toward his class, but Videl caught his arm.

"You're not going to die if you miss one class." She said. "Now tell me, why did you you-know-what?"

"Videl, we really have to get in class. My mother will kill me if she knows that I missed a class."

"If you don't answer me now, it's _me_ who's going to kill you. Be happy that I didn't do it already. I really want to, you know."

"Videl, please…" He implored.

"The faster you answer me, the faster you can get in class."

He sighed. "Fine. I… you-know-what because… I just wanted to escape." He lied.

Videl clenched her fists. Then suddenly, her fist hurled toward Gohan's face, who dodged it by reflex. This made her angrier, and she continued to try and hit him, but to her great frustration, and also her great surprise, Gohan dodged all her attacks.

"So you don't know how to fight, huh?" She said, still trying to hit him. "You're really a liar!"

"Videl, please calm down!" Gohan said, still dodging Videl's attacks.

"Shut up! Liar! I hate you!"

Those words hurt Gohan deeply, and he stopped to dodge Videl's attacks, this one finally succeeding in punching him on the stomach. She immediately regretted it, feeling like she hit a brick wall.

"Ow! What are you made of, rocks?" she said, holding her aching hand.

Gohan's eyes widened, realizing that Videl was hurt because of him.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry Videl! Does it hurt?"

She glared at him. "What do you think!?"

"You have to go to the infirmary!"

"No, it's okay. It's not that bad." She said.

"Videl, you're hurt! You have to go to he infirmary to get your hand checked!" He insisted.

"No. I'm telling you, it's okay."

"You don't give me the choice."

He came closer to her, and before she could ask herself what he was going to do, he carried her in his arms, one hand under her knees and the other holding her back. She blushed furiously at their closeness, as he started to walk with her in his arms.

"Wha-What are you doing?"

He turned his head toward her and smiled at her. "I'm taking you to the infirmary."

"Put me down now! I don't want to go! Put me down!" she cried, struggling.

He frowned. "Videl, calm down. We're just going to check your hand."

She sighed, finally calming down. She put her head against the young man's shoulder, making him blush intensely, as he finally realized in exactly what position they were in.

They arrived quite rapidly at the infirmary, and Gohan put Videl on the ground, the two secretly regretting the warmth of the other. The nurse received them, and checked Videl's hand. It was nothing serious, but she bandaged it.

"How did you hurt yourself, Miss Satan?" The nurse asked as she was bandaging her hand.

Gohan looked away, embarrassed, as Videl replied.

"I punched the wall." She lied.

Gohan stared at her, surprised. Why had she lied?

"What would you do something like that?" The nurse asked.

"I was… really mad."

"I see." The nurse said. "In any case, you are lucky to have a kind young man who's worried about you."

Gohan blushed, rubbing his neck. The nurse finished bandaging Videl's hand, and the two got out of the infirmary, after thanking the nurse.

"Well, we have to get in class." Gohan said. "We're already enough late as it is."

"Not so fast, Gohan."

He sighed. "What's it, this time?"

"I'd like to know why you lied to me."

"I lied to you?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You told me that you didn't know how to fight, where obviously you're not an amateur in this field."

"Well… Err… I… We don't have time for this, Videl; we have to get in class."

Before she could react, he started to run faster than the average speed toward their class. Videl immediately started to run after him, having a hard time following him.

"Gohan! You stop right here!" She shouted behind him. "Gohan!!"

Gohan looked behind him, seeing Videl trying to keep up with him with difficulties. He smiled. This girl would never give up. Well, it was because of that that he loved her.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 3**

Gohan arrived in front of his classroom's door, slightly out of breath, and knocked on it hurriedly, looking behind him to see Videl come dangerously closer to him. Finally, he was allowed to enter, and opened the door hastily.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor, I accompanied Videl in the infirmary." He said hurriedly.

Right on cue, Videl showed up in the classroom, more than breathless. She glared at Gohan, who swallowed.

"Is it true, Miss Satan, that Mr. Son here accompanied you in the infirmary?" The teacher asked.

Her breathing claming down, Videl turned toward her professor. "Yes, it's true. Look." She showed her bandaged hand to him.

"I see." The teacher said. "Go sit down on your seat. Book page one hundred fifty two."

"Yes, Professor." They said in unison.

They sat down on their usual seats, one each side of Erasa. Gohan didn't lost any time and got his book out, opening it on the page indicated, trying to ignore that Videl was glaring at him.

As he was listening to the teacher's lecture, he saw Erasa passing him a note.

"From Videl." She whispered with a wink.

He looked at Videl, who was still glaring at him, than turned his eyes toward the note in his hands. He unfolded it and read it.

_I'm not finished with you. Join me on the roof during the break. And you better show up, or else…!_

_-Videl_

His face has broken down as he read the note. He wondered what she would do to him if he wouldn't go join her on the roof during the break, like she ordered, err, _kindly asked_ him.

_I guess I don't have a choice… _He thought._ She will surely question me about my fighting abilities… What am I going to say to her?_

He then realized that she was surely waiting for an answer from him, and scribbled rapidly a few words on the paper, which he gave to Erasa telling her to pass it to Videl. This one smirked when she read what was written on it.

_I'll come._

_-Gohan_

_Perfect!_ She thought._ This time, he won't be able to escape from me! I will finally discover his secrets!_

As for Gohan, he was still wondering what he could invent to explain to Videl the fact that he could fight. His brain was racing, trying to find something, anything, that could save him from this situation.

The break came far too quickly for the demi Saïya-jin, who still hadn't found anything. He was very anxious when he climbed the stairs which leaded to the roof, hoping without really believe it that Videl would forget about their little meeting.

He slowly turned the door's handle, and saw Videl who was waiting for him in the middle of the roof, arms crossed, sending him her usual glare that she reserved only for him. He gulped.

_Why me?_

"So, Gohan, I think that you have some explaining to do." She said.

He decided to play the ignorant. "What about?"

Videl narrowed her eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I do?" He asked weakly, continuing to play the ignorant.

She clenched her fists, having unfolded her arms, a vein beating furiously on her temple.

"My God, you really want me to kill you!" She yelled, making him slightly wince because of the increase of her voice. "You stop right now your little game and tell me how you know how to fight! And why you lied to me!"

"Okay, Okay, I'm sorry!" He said, raising his hands in front of him. "It's true that I know how to fight. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"That doesn't answer my questions."

He sighed, deciding to tell the truth. Well, part of it.

"I do martial arts since I'm four years old."

"Four years old? Really?" Videl said, surprised. "It's really early! Even me, I only started when I was seven. It explains how you could dodge all of my attacks rather easily."

_I wonder just how strong he is…_ She thought.

"I know!" She said suddenly. "We're going to spar! Like that, I would be able to see how you manage in a fight! What do you say?"

Gohan's eyes widened. Sparing with her? But he could hurt her! No, no, no way, he couldn't bear it. He had to find a way out of it.

"I don't think it a really good idea…" He tried.

Videl glared at him, her hand on her hips. "And why is that?"

"Well… No offence, but I prefer to avoid fighting girls…"

Her glare intensified. "And can you tell me why? I may be a girl, but I can fight just as good, and even better, than any guy!"

"It's not that; I know that you're strong. But it would make me uneasy…"

"Well you'll get over it! We're going to spar whether you like it or not!"

"But Videl…"

"No buts!" She cut him. "We'll go to my house after class. My father's out of town this week, so there's no problem."

"But Videl…" He tried again, but he was once again interrupted by Videl, whose face has suddenly darkened.

"We will spar, got that?" She said in a very scary voice.

"Yes ma'am." Gohan said hurriedly, scared.

The young girl's smile then reappeared, and she clapped her hands.

"Perfect! Meet me here after class!" She said happily.

"Alright…" He said with a sigh.

"Cheer up! I'm sure it's going to be fun!"

"If you say so…" He said, not convinced at all.

_I have to control my strength. _He thought._ I could never forgive myself if I hurt her…_

It was then that the bell rang, announcing that class started again, and the two high schoolers went back in class.

* * *

Videl was waiting for Gohan on the roof, her Jet Copter out of its capsule, taping her foot impatiently. What was taking him this long? Class has ended ten minutes ago!

"He better come!"

At last, the roof's door opened, and Gohan appeared, looking down. He really didn't want to spar with Videl, especially since there was a chance that he hurt her.

"Can you tell me what took you that long? Never mind that, what matter is that you're here now. Climb on my Jet, we're going to my house."

"Okay…" He said with a sigh.

They climbed on Videl's Jet Copter, and she took off with it, flying toward the Satan Manor. She decided that it would be a good opportunity to question her classmate.

"So, Gohan," She started. "Where did you learn how to fight?"

Gohan thought for a moment about what he was going to tell, and then replied: "It's a friend of my father that taught me martial arts, then my father a few years later. But I stopped training seven years ago."

"Oh? Why?"

"Well… I never really liked to fight…"

Videl stared at him, surprised. "Really?"

"Videl, maybe you should look in front of you…" advised Gohan.

She blinked, then laughed softly, and turned her gaze in front of her.

"Why did you do martial arts, if you don't like it?" she went on.

_I can't tell her that I was forced to because aliens were menacing Earth! _Gohan thought._ Oh! I know what I'm going to tell her!_

"It a kind of tradition in the family. Ma mother, my father, my grandfather, my great grand father… They're all martial artists."

"I see." Videl said. "Had they competed in tournaments?"

_I feared this question…_ "My father competed in several world tournaments, and won on his last time. He met my mother at this tournament, and they got married immediately after."

"Wait a second, I've already heard this story…" Videl said, thinking. "What are your parents' names?"

Gohan grimaced slightly, knowing what would happen next. "Son Goku and Chichi."

Videl set the automatic pilot, then turned toward Gohan, glaring. "You mean you're the son of the legendary Son Goku, and of Chichi, one of the only women that got to the final of the Tenkachi Budokai?"

"Err… Yes?"

"And can you tell me why you didn't tell me??" She exclaimed.

Gohan was starting to sweat. "Well… I… forgot?" He tried weakly.

"You _forgot_?! How can someone just _forget_ something like that? Do you have any idea who your parents are?? They're living legends!"

Gohan's face darkened. "My mother, maybe, but not my father."

Videl stared at him, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

"He can't be a "living legend", because he's dead." He said darkly, his eyes down.

"Oh I… I'm so sorry… I didn't know…"

Gohan looked up at her, and smiled at her. "It's okay, it's been seven years; I got over it."

_Seven years__? Didn't he say that he stopped training in martial arts seven years ago, too? Are those two events connected?_ She wondered.

She turned her gaze back in front of her, and deactivated the automatic pilot. They saw the great Satan Manor in sight, and a few moments later, Videl landed her Jet Copter. They got out of it, and Videl put it back in its capsule. Gohan was really impressed by the great Manor; it was _big_!

"It's… here that you live?" He asked, not able to remove his eyes from the Manor.

Videl crossed her arms. "A bit too big for only two people, don't you think?"

"I guess…"

"Well! We don't have time to admire it! Follow me, we're going to the training room." She said, starting to walk toward the Manor.

Gohan followed her obediently, and they entered. The inside was even more impressive! Then he remembered something: his mother. She didn't know that he would be late!

"Hem… Videl? Can I use your phone?" He asked shyly.

She got her mobile phone out of her pocket, and gave it to him. "Here, you can use my phone. Who do you need to call?"

He took the phone. "My mother…"

Gohan didn't lost any time and dialed his home's phone number, then put the phone against his ear, as they continued to walk toward the training room. Videl listened discreetly.

"Hello, Goten? It's Gohan. Can you tell Mom that I'll come home late, please? (…) Okay I'm waiting. (…) M… Mom!" He moved the phone away from his ear, grimacing. After a while, his mother's yelling seemed to calm down, and he put the phone back against his ear. "(…) Listen, Mom, I'm just with some friends… (…) Yes, alright, I won't be back too late, I promise. Bye."

He shut the phone off, heaving a deep sigh. Looking around him, he realized that they were arrived at the training room. And what room! There was all kind of bodybuilding equipments in the entire place, and a big ring in the middle.

Videl's voice interrupted his contemplation. "Your mother seems very strict."

"You have no idea…"

"When will I meet her?"

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 4**

Gohan stared at Videl, wide-eyed. "…What?"

"When will I meet her?" She repeated.

"But… Why would you want to meet my mother?" He asked incredulously.

"She's one of the strongest women in the world! Why _wouldn't_ I want to meet her?"

"Oh… I see…"

"So, when will I meet her?" She asked again.

He scratched his hair. "Well, you can come over this week-end, if you want."

"Great! I could even spend the night over, what do you think? Since my father's away, I can allow it myself!"

He sighed. "If you want… But I have to inform my mother first."

"You still have my phone in your hands; call her!"

"Now?"

"Of course! Come on, call her!"

He sighed again, and dialed his home's phone number once again, then put the phone against his ear.

_"Hello?"_ He heard from the other side of the phone. He recognized his mother's voice without troubles.

"Hello, Mom? It's me again."

_"Gohan? Why are you calling again?"_

"Well… I have this friend who really wants to meet you. She also wants to spend the night over, this week-end. Is it okay?"

_"Wait a second, did you say 'she'? Is she your girlfriend?"_ Chichi asked, teasing him.

Gohan blushed intensely. "No, Mom, she's _not_ my girlfriend! She's just a friend!" He protested furiously.

_"Really, Gohan, you should know that I tease you. But I would really like you to have a girlfriend. You would marry her, and you would make me beautiful grandchildren…"_

"Mom!" Gohan yelled, more red than ever.

_"Don't you dare raise your voice with me, young man!"_ Chichi said, her voice stern.

"I'm sorry, Mom." He sighed. "So, can she come over?"

_"But why does she want to meet me so much?"_

"She heard that you were one of the only women who were finalists at the Tenkachi Budokai."

_"Oh, it was so long ago… There are still people that remember it?"_

"Apparently, yes."

_"Fine, she can come! She can even spend the night over, if she wants! Speaking of which, what's her name?"_

"Videl."

_"What a lovely name! I'm sure she would be perfect for you!"_

Gohan blushed yet again. "Mom!"

_"Okay, okay, I'm stopping. Well see you later dear, don't come home too late!"_

"Okay, Mom. Bye."

He hung up, heaving a deep sigh. He turned his gaze toward Videl, who was looking at him with an amused expression. Actually, she would never admit it, but she thought that he was very cute when he was blushing.

"Well, now that's settled, we'll be able to spar." She said.

"You're sure it's a good idea? You're hand's hurt; it would disadvantage you."

"Don't worry about it. I don't feel the pain anymore." She assured.

He sighed again. "If you say so…" He said. Then he got an idea. "But I don't exactly have the right clothes to fight in. Maybe we should spar some other day."

"Stop to try and find excuses. And concerning your clothes, I should be able to find a fighting gi in your side."

"Re… Really?" Gohan said. _Damn._

"Yes. All I have to do is dig in my father's students' stuff. Wait here, I'll be right back."

While Videl went to find him a gi, Gohan walked around the training room, watching the different bodybuilding equipments that were scattered all over the place.

_The __only use of all those equipments is to increase the muscular mass,_ Gohan thought. _But all these big muscles only slow us down; it's rather disadvantaging in a fight._

"I think this one should suit you." Videl said, having just arrived.

Gohan took the fighting gi from Videl's hands, and suppressed a grimace when he saw that it wasn't going to hide his muscles much.

"Err… You wouldn't have a long sleeved gi instead?" Gohan asked.

"You want to fight with a long sleeved gi? In this heat? You're going to die from the heat! No, you would be better wearing the gi that I brought to you."

Gohan sighed, resigning himself. "Fine. Where do I change?"

"Follow me; I will lead you to the changing room." Videl replied, starting to walk toward the changing room. Gohan followed her obediently.

She opened a door. "Here it is. Don't be too long."

Gohan nodded, then entered the changing room, as Videl was waiting behind the door. After ten minutes, she started to lose patience, and knocked on the door.

"How long does it take you to change? Hurry up!" She said.

In the other side of the door, Gohan was ready for a while now, but he couldn't make his mind to come out in his current clothes that did nothing to hide his muscles.

"Gohan! What are you doing in here? Come out, already!" Videl cried.

Gohan sighed, and resigned himself to come out. He turned the door's handle, and, slowly, opened the door.

"Finally! It took you… long…" She trailed off, and she felt her cheeks warming up as she saw him without sleeves, and a good part of his muscular chest.

_Oh my God… _She thought. That_'s what he was hiding under his long sleeves??_

Gohan looked away, a light shade of red covering his face, rubbing his neck, embarrassed by the way Videl was looking at him. It was for that reason that he preferred to wear larges clothes, with long sleeves; he didn't like the attention. Although… With Videl…

He shook his head, then sighed. "Well, are we going to spar now?"

His voice seemed to wake Videl from her torpor, and she blushed even more, realizing just what she was doing.

"Err… Yes. Let's go."

They went back to the training room, Videl glancing at Gohan from time to time, blushing. She would never have imagined that he was that muscular, thought it was kind of logical for someone who did martial arts since he was four.

They got on the ring, facing each other.

"I warn you, Gohan, if you lose on purpose just because I'm a girl, I will never forgive you!" Videl said.

_Damn it! I wasn't planning on wining this fight, but now I don't have a choice!_ Gohan thought.

"Fine." He said. "But you won't be mad at me if I win?"

Videl gave a little laugh. "You can always try."

They got in fighting stance, each one observing and estimating the other's stance.

_His stance is perfect. _Videl thought. She smirked._ I have the feeling that I'm going to have fun._

Not wasting any time, she rushed toward her opponent, trying to punch him, but Gohan dodged without troubles. She continued with a kick, but it was dodged equally with ease. Followed a series of blows from Videl, but Gohan continued to dodge them all, not seeming to put a lot of efforts in it. After a while, Videl jumped back, breathing hard, while Gohan got back in fighting stance, fresh as new.

_She's not bad at all. _Gohan thought._ Far better than her father, in fact._

"Why aren't you attacking?" Videl asked, frowning. "It's a spar! You're supposed to attack, not only dodge my attacks!"

"But… I don't want to hurt you…"

Gohan realized his mistake when he saw Videl clench her fists, a vein beating on her temple. He took a step back.

"You idiot! It's a spar; we're bound to get hurt! Now you're going to fight properly or else I kill you! I still want to, you know; I'm still mad at you for kissing me just so you could escape!"

Gohan blushed, unconsciously thinking about the kiss. "I told you I was sorry, Videl. And anyway, would you be less mad at me if I had kissed you for another reason than wanting to escape?"

"Why, is there another reason?"

"No!" Gohan said hurriedly, his cheeks burning.

Videl frowned. Why was she disappointed by this answer? Did she want that there would be another reason? She shook her head, dispelling those ideas from her mind.

"Anyway, let's continue to spar." She said.

"Couldn't we spar another time? It's getting late, and I promised to my mother that I won't come home too late."

"It's out of question. You will be able to leave _only_ after our spar."

"But Videl…"

"Not buts! Let's get back to our spar, and you better attack me, this time!"

She rushed at him again, sending him a series of blows which he dodged. Then, deciding to attack, Gohan punched her lightly on the jaw. Well, lightly for him. His punch was far more powerful than he would have liked, and he saw in horror blood coming from the young fighter's mouth, who had stepped back a few steps from the force of the blow.

She wiped the blood from her chin, ignoring the pain. "Well you see, when you want."

"I quit." Gohan declared.

"No way! It's just getting interesting!" Videl protested.

"I said I quit. I refuse to hurt you anymore." He said, getting off the ring.

Videl followed him out of the ring. "You can't quit! The spar isn't over yet!"

"I don't care. I don't want to fight you anymore. Never again."

He was going to get out of the training room toward the corridor which leaded to the changing room, but Videl placed herself in front of him, blocking his way."

"Don't you dare leave now! We have a spar to finish!" She insisted.

"No. The spar is over. Now let me pass."

"No!"

He sighed. "Videl, please… Don't make me use the big means."

"What, you're going to kiss me again so you can escape?"

He blushed. "No! That's not what I meant!" He sighed again. "I knew I shouldn't have agreed to it."

"It's too late now. And I want us to finish our spar."

"Videl, for the last time, I won't fight you anymore."

"Why, because I'm a girl?"

"Among other things, yes."

She clenched her fists. "You're such a macho!"

He blinked. "Me? A macho?" He couldn't believe his ears.

"You heard me! You're a macho! And a coward! I hate you!"

Those words still hurt Gohan. She hated him. Whereas he loved her so much…

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry that it's what you feel about me. All I wanted is for us to become friends."

"I could be your friend, if you would accept to continue to spar with me."

He hesitated a few moments, then shook his head. "No. I won't fight you again."

"Fine, suit yourself. I don't want to fight with a coward like you anymore anyway."

She moved out of his way, letting him pass. He went to change in the changing room, coming out from out a few minutes later. Videl was in the corridor, arms crossed, glaring.

"Bye Videl."

For any answer, she "Humphed" and turned on her eels, going back to the training room.

_It's even worst than before. _He thought, getting out of the Manor._ I should never have agreed to it._

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 5**

Gohan was depressed. The girl he loved hated him, thought that he was a coward and a macho, and to top it all, he had hurt her. She was certainly going to have a big bruise because of him. He would never be able to forgive it to himself.

He sighed. He should never have agreed to spar with her. Really, sparring with a human… What was he thinking? He really was an idiot.

There was a knock on his bedroom's door, which opened on Chichi. He remained lying on his bed, keeping his stare on the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

"Gohan, diner is ready." Chichi announced.

"I'm not hungry." He replied, not moving from his position.

This worried Chichi. She noticed that he seemed down since he got back. She didn't know what had put him in this state, but she was determined to find out.

She entered the room, and sat down on the edge of the bed. He still didn't move from his position.

"Gohan, what's wrong? Did something happen?" She asked.

He looked at her, and forced a smile. "Nothing's wrong, Mom, don't worry."

"Gohan, I am your mother. I know when something is wrong with you. Now tell me what happened to you."

He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it about a girl?"

"Mom, I really don't want to talk about it. Please understand."

Chichi sighed, and got up from the bed. "Fine, as you wish. If you change your mind, I'll be there to listen to you."

He smiled, this time for real. "I know, Mom. Thanks."

* * *

It was hopeless. She hadn't talked to him all day. She hadn't even looked at him once. At this moment, he could kill for her to glare at him, like she would usually do.

The bell rang, announcing the lunch time, and Gohan decided to try an approach. He hurriedly put his things in his bag and got out of the class, waiting in the corridor that Videl came out in her turn. When she came out, she ignored him royally and walked past him like he didn't exist.

"Videl, wait!"

She continued to walk.

"Videl, please, talk to me! You can't keep on ignoring me eternally!"

She continued to ignore him, continuing to walk toward the cafeteria, while he followed her, desperate, trying to get her to talk to him.

"Tell me at least if you're still coming over this week-end!" He said.

This stopped Videl, and the students around them turned their attention toward them, interested.

"You're really crazy to shout that in front of everyone." Videl said, talking to him for the first time that day.

Gohan then noticed that everyone was looking at them, and blushed a little, embarrassed, rubbing his neck.

"Sorry…"

She looked at him a few moments, and then resumed her walk toward the cafeteria, ignoring him again. Gohan followed her.

"You didn't answer me." He said. "Are you still coming over this week-end?"

She stopped walking once again, seeming to hesitate.

"Yes." She said finally, before resuming her walk.

Gohan smiled. He would have all the week-end to get her to talk to him again. And he would succeed. He _had to_ succeed. This situation was unbearable to him. He way preferred for her to glare at him suspiciously and to try to discover his secrets rather than to ignore him like she was doing.

He went to the cafeteria, too, and looked unconsciously for Videl. She was sitting at a table with Erasa and Shapner, and was discussing with them while eating. He went to sit at a table far enough from them and got his huge lunch from its capsule, starting to eat. Like every day, he attracted the attention on him, but he took the habit to ignore it.

Despite the distance, his good hearing perceived the conversation between Videl and her friends, while he continued to eat.

"Really, Videl, I think you're very cruel to the poor Gohan." Erasa was saying. "What he could have done for you to ignore him like this?"

"It's not your business, Erasa. I already told you a thousand times that I don't want to talk about it." Videl replied.

"Give it up, Erasa." Sharpner. "Why would Videl talk to a mountain boy like him anyway?"

"Shut up, Sharpner. You're saying that only because you're jealous that he's way cuter than you."

Gohan blushed when he heard that, but continued to eat, still listening to the conversation.

"You're joking, I hope? This _mountain boy_, cuter than _me_? Ha! I bet he never kissed a girl in his life!"

Gohan blushed even more, unconsciously thinking about his first and certainly last kiss with Videl. What he heard next made him spit the rice he was eating.

"It's so happen that yes. Believe that he kissed our dear Videl."

Gohan nearly choked on his rice, and hit his chest to let it pass.

She had told her!!

As for Sharpner, he had jumped from his chair, knocking it over, and exclaimed: "WHAAAAATT??"

Gohan couldn't see it, because her back was to him, but Videl was as red as a tomato. She kicked Erasa under the table.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Erasa said.

"You idiot! You weren't supposed to shout it on all roofs!"

"You mean it's true??" Sharpner cried. "You really kissed him??"

"Will you shut up? Do you want all the school to know it?" Videl hissed.

Sharpner put the chair back in its place and sat down, pouting.

"I can't believe you kissed him!" Sharpner said, more quietly this time, but Gohan heard him very clearly.

"First, he's the one who kissed me, not the opposite."

"The nerves of that guy! How dare he kiss MY Videl?!"

"How many times do I have to repeat that I'm NOT your Videl, Sharpner? I never was and will never be. So stop dreaming."

Sharpner crossed his arms, pouting once again. Videl rolled her eyes, and then turned toward Erasa, her eyes heavy with reproach.

"And you! You really can't keep a secret! Remind me to never confide in you again!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Videl, it came out on itself… And anyway, we can tell this to Sharpner, can't we? He's our friend in forever."

Videl sighed, and then turned toward Sharpner. "Can I trust you? You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Of course not!" He replied. "As if I'd want that to be known! The only one who has to right to kiss you is me!"

"Will you stop dreaming, already? I would rather kiss Gohan again than you!"

_Wha… What did she say?_ Gohan thought, all red.

Videl realized too what she had just said, and blushed intensely. She tried to catch herself.

"Forget what I just said. Forget all of this straight out. As for me, I've already forgotten it."

The two blonds nodded, and they continued to eat in silence. Which didn't last long.

"Hey, Videl, I've wanted to ask you," Erasa started.

"What?"

"What happened to your jaw?"

"Hey, that's true." Sharpner said. "I also asked myself."

Gohan immediately felt guilty. It was _him_ who did that to her. He really blamed himself for hurting her.

Videl's watch beeped at this moment, preventing her from responding to her friends. She responded instead to the police chief, who informed her of a hostage situation at the bank.

"I'm on my way." She cut the communication, and got up from her chair. "I have to go."

"Be careful, Videl!" Erasa said, always worried when her friend went to fight criminals.

"Kick their ass, Videl!" Sharpner shouted after his friend, who was already running toward the cafeteria's exit.

Gohan waited a few moments before standing up in his turn, putting what was left of his lunch in its capsule, and also ran toward the cafeteria's exit.

He climbed the stairs four by four, until he arrived in front of the roof's door, which he opened hurriedly. Taking a rapid look around him to make sure he was alone, he pushed the little red button of his watch, becoming the Great Saiyaman. Not wasting any time, he took off toward the bank. He passed Videl's yellow Jet Copter, waving his hand at her. This angered the girl. How the hell did he always know when the police called her?

She still suspected Gohan, especially since she knew that he could fight. But how was he able to hear the call of the police? He was way too far from them to be able to hear anything.

_Maybe I'm wrong, in the end. _She thought._ Maybe he's not Saiyaman… I have to make sure._

They landed in front of the bank, which was surrounded by dozen of police's cars. Videl got out of her Jet Copter, and the police chief received them, more than relieved to see them. He explained the situation to them. Five men were holding up the bank, and when the police showed up, they decided to take the customers and the employees hostage, saying that they would kill them if the police tried anything.

"It would be better if I go there alone." Saiyaman said. "I'm faster; they won't see me coming."

"No way!" Videl protested. "It's my job; you don't have to get involved! I don't need your help!"

"Videl, it's dangerous, and the lives of innocent people are at stake. It's really not the time to refuse my help."

"Do whatever you want, just don't get in my way!" She said. "Anyway, I think that the safest to get inside is to get in by the roof. I could go there with my Jet Copter, but the noise would warn them that I'm coming, and they could take it out on the hostages…"

"I can take you there, if you want." Saiyaman offered.

She looked at the super hero. "You mean… by flying?"

"Yes. They won't hear us coming if we go there by flying."

"Alright, I accept your help. Take me to the roof."

Gohan came closer to her and carried her in his arms, ignoring the redness of his cheeks. Videl wrapped her arms around his neck, blushing too.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded her head, and he took off. Videl saw the ground move away from them, and instinctively, clung a bit more to the hero's neck, making him blush even more. He tried to calm his heart's beating, without much success. Finally, after what appeared to him like an eternity, he landed on the roof, and put Videl on the ground, holding back a sigh of relief. Having her so close to him was truly torturing.

As for Videl, she would never admit it but she regretted to not be in the Great Saiyaman's powerful arms anymore. She had felt so good in his arms… Protected. Strangely, she'd had the same feeling while she had been in Gohan's arms, when he took her to the infirmary…

She shook her head, and concentrated on the hostage situation. The roof was glassed-in and they could see what was happening inside. Like the police chief told them, there were five men with hoods covering their face. The hostages were sitting on the floor, seeming terrified.

Videl opened the window, making as less noise as possible.

"Well, I'm going in." She said, before jumping inside.

The noise of her landing attracted the burglars' attentions. Videl didn't waste any time and punched the closer one, then continued with a knee on his neck. He collapsed, knocked out.

"Kill her!!" cried one of them, seeming to be their leader.

The three others rushed toward her. She was waiting for them, in her fighting stance.

Still on the roof, Gohan looked at Videl as she took care of the criminals, a small smile on his lips. He loved to see her like this; fighting, determined, that fire burning in her eyes. He found her even more beautiful.

Seeing that his men were losing against the girl, the leader took out his pistol. But it disappeared from his hands the moment after.

"What the…?"

"Is this what you're looking for?" A voice behind him said.

He turned round, and found himself in front of the Great Saiyaman. This one crushed the pistol in his hand. The burglar's eyes widened. The hero then disappeared before his eyes, and then it was all black.

Gohan turned his attention toward Videl, who was still fighting. He knew that she didn't like it when he helped her, so he decided to not interfere in her fight. She was doing well anyway.

One of the criminals decided that he had enough, and took out his pistol, pointing it at Videl, who froze.

"Aren't that smart now, are you?" The bandit said.

The two others imitated him, pointing their pistols at the girl. This one felt trapped, and clenched her fists. It was then that Saiyaman appeared in front of her.

"Don't worry, Videl." He said. "I won't let them hurt you."

Videl didn't know why, but she suddenly felt her cheeks warming up. _Why the hell am I blushing, now?_

"Pff!" One of the burglars said. "Let's see what you can do against this!"

They shoot at them, but Saiyaman caught all the bullets without troubles. After a while, they were out of munitions, and stopped shooting. Saiyaman opened his hands, and all the bullets dropped on the ground.

"What is this guy made of?!" One of the bandits said, frightened.

He didn't have the time to wonder about it long because he was knocked out by Saiyaman, along with his accomplices

Videl crossed her arms. "You could have left me one."

He rubbed his neck. "Sorry…"

She narrowed her eyes when she saw him rub his neck. _Gohan does the same thing…_ She thought. _I have to know if it's really him!_

The hostages got out of the bank, leaving Videl alone with the Great Saiyaman.

"Well, now that my work here is done, I will be going." He said.

"Wait!" Videl said.

He turned toward her. "What's it?"

She came closer to him. "I wanted to thank you for saving me."

_That's a new thing. _Gohan thought._ Usually she yells at me when I save her, saying that she didn't need my help._

She came even closer to him. "Thank you…" She murmured.

…Before kissing him.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 6**

Under his helmet, Gohan's eyes widened, while his cheeks were burning him like never before. Then, his instincts kicked in, and he pulled her against him, kissing her back passionately. The kiss lasted a good while, but they started to need air, and had to stop.

Videl smiled. "I knew it was you… Gohan."

Gohan's eyes widened again. "Wha… What? I… I don't know this Gohan; you've got the wrong person, Videl."

"It's useless to try to deny it, Gohan, I know it's you. I recognized you… from the way you kiss."

Gohan's jaw dropped. She had kissed him… only so she could unmask him? And he, like an idiot, he has fallen in her trap!

He sighed. "I really am an idiot…"

"Aha! So you finally admit it!" Videl said triumphantly.

He sighed yet again. "Yeah, it's me, Videl." He admitted. "You… You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I told you; I know how to keep a secret." She said, making him sigh in relief. "But I would like you to do something for me, in return."

He tensed. "A… condition?"

"Call that as you want to." Videl said. "I want you to teach me how to fly."

Gohan felt relieved. "That's all? Phew! I was expecting the worst!"

She lifted a brow. "What did you think I was going to ask you?"

He laughed nervously, rubbing his neck. "Well I don't really know… That I become your slave or something like that."

"My slave? That's not a bad idea…"

Gohan's eyes widened. "You… You're not going to ask me that?"

She laughed. "Of course not! I was joking! You're so naïve!"

He rubbed his neck, laughing nervously. "You got me scared, for a minute."

"So, are you going to teach me how to fly? Is that even possible?"

"Yes, of course. Everyone can fly with the proper training. I can teach it to you, if you want."

"Really? Thank you!!" She said, leaping in his arms.

Gohan blushed furiously, feeling Videl's body pressed against his own. She then realized what she was doing, and moved away from him hastily, blushing.

"Err… Sorry." She said.

"N-No… It's okay…" Gohan replied.

An uncomfortable silence settled in between them. Then, Gohan looked at his watch, and his eyes widened again.

"Shoot! English class is nearly over! I'm late again!" He exclaimed. "See you in class, Videl!"

Videl watched him leave the bank, then take off to the sky. She smiled. Things couldn't have taken a better turn: she had finally unmasked the super hero, she was going to learn how to fly…

…And she had been able to kiss Gohan again…

She blushed. _What am I thinking? Since when kissing Gohan is a good thing? I only kissed him to unmask him, nothing more!_

_But it was still great…_

* * *

Gohan was back in class, after being reprimanded by the teacher for his lateness. He was feeling very stupid to have been tricked like that. But in the end, it was his fault; if he hadn't kissed her, the other day, she wouldn't have been able to recognize him by the way he kissed.

But how could he regret to have kissed her? It had felt so good to have her lips against his, to be intoxicated by her perfume, to fell her body pressed against his own… He would do anything to be able to feel all that again, but he wasn't kidding himself. He should be happy that he had been able to kiss her twice.

He glanced to his right. Erasa was slouched on the table, which allowed him to have a good view of Videl, who had returned a few moments after him. His hand supporting his head, his elbow on the table, he stared at her, while she was taking notes. She was so beautiful… If only she knew his feelings for her…

The bell announcing the end of the class rang, waking him from his contemplation. He blinked. Class was already over? But there should be a quarter hour left when he arrived.

_Don't tell me… I stared at Videl all this time?_ Gohan thought.

It was fortunate that she was busy taking note to notice it; it would have been very embarrassing. He shook his head, clearing his head, and started to put his things in his schoolbag. Then, he stood up, and got out of the classroom, walking toward his next class.

Gohan had noticed that Sharpner glared at him more than usual. It was certainly because the blond knew that he had kissed Videl. It was true that Sharpner was after Videl since forever. But that didn't bother Gohan, who was spending most of his time staring at the girl of his dream.

Little did he know, Videl could feel his eyes on her, and was fighting down a blush. What's it with him to stare at her all the time?

And then, Erasa's words came to her mind…

_"Well, that a guy like him is madly in love with you!"_

This time, she couldn't help but blush. What if Erasa was right? Gohan would be…?

_Huh? Why is she blushing, suddenly? _Gohan wondered, having noticed the girl's red cheeks._ I would give anything to know what she's thinking right now._

He then saw her pass a piece of paper to Erasa, whispering to her to pass it to him. He lifted his brows, wondering what she had wrote to him. He took the paper from Erasa's hands, and unfolded it. His eyes widened when he read what was written on it, and his cheeks were on fire.

_Will you stop staring at me? It's making me nervous!_

_She noticed! _He thought, alarmed._ She noticed that I was staring at her! My God… It's so embarrassing…_

Nervously, he turned his eyes toward Videl. She was still taking notes, although there was a light shade of red coloring her cheeks. He scribbled rapidly a few words on the piece of paper and passed it to Erasa, whispering to her to pass it to Videl.

_Sorry… I won't do it again._

Videl felt a bit guilty to have written to him this rather aggressive note. But, curious, she wrote a question on the piece of paper.

_Why were you staring at me?_

Gohan's eyes widened again when he read the note. Could he tell her the truth? What would be her reaction?

Gathering his courage, he wrote his reply.

_I think you're really beautiful._

It was Videl's turn to widen her eyes, and her cheeks flared up. He thought… that she was… beautiful? She must have read wrong, it wasn't possible…

_"Well, that a guy like him is madly in love with you!"_

She blushed even more. Gohan was really…?

Gohan looked at Videl's reaction, more nervous than ever. _I am an idiot. _He thought. _I should never have written that._

And then, he saw a smile appear on Videl's lips, while she wrote him her reply.

_Thanks._

He smiled.

* * *

"So, what were those little notes you exchanged with Gohan?" Erasa asked Videl, while they were walking toward the school's exit, at the end of the day.

The young brunette blushed, thinking about what Gohan had wrote to her. But she tried to seem indifferent when she replied.

"Nothing important." She said.

"Oh really? And yet I've never seen you blush that much when you've read his note."

Videl blushed even more. "Look, Erasa, it's… personal."

"You won't even tell it to me?"

Videl crossed her arms. "After the way you kept my last secret, you can understand that I'm not very thrilled to confide in you."

"Oh, Videl, I told you I was sorry… I swear I won't tell anyone, this time."

Videl was thinking, while they were exiting the school. Finally, she sighed.

"He wrote to me… that he thought I was beautiful." She said at last, blushing.

"I knew it!" Erasa squealed. "Now I dare you to tell me that he's not in love with you!"

Videl blushed even more. "I… I don't know… I'm lost…"

"But it's obvious that he's smitten with you!"

Videl had the impression that her face was going to explode so much she was blushing.

"Well, I have to go." She said. She got out her Jet Copter from its capsule and was getting ready to climb on it.

"Videl, wait!" The young blond said.

She stopped and turned toward her friend. "What's it?"

"I'd like to know… What are you feeling for Gohan?" Erasa asked.

Videl blushed again, looking away. "I… I'm not sure…"

"Are you in love with him?"

"I don't know." Videl replied. "But… I feel… safe, with him."

"Oh Videl, I'm so happy for you! You will make such a cute couple, with Gohan!"

"Hey, we're not together yet!"

Erasa winked at her. "Not yet, like you said."

Videl blushed yet again. "Well, I will be going. Bye Erasa."

"Bye Videl!"

Videl climbed on her Jet Copter and took off, deep in thought.

Was she in love with Gohan?

* * *

Videl was preparing herself for her week-end at Gohan's. She had a few change of clothes, her bathroom stuff, her pyjamas… She hadn't forgotten anything. Good, she was ready for her week-end. They would go to his house immediately after school, tomorrow.

She transformed her bag in a capsule, which she put in her capsules' box.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

* * *

The Great Saiyaman landed on the roof of Orange Star High School and, after making sure that he was alone, he became Gohan the high schooler again. He then entered the school, and went down the stairs that were leading to the corridors. Glad to be on time for once, he walked toward his locker, putting the books he didn't need in it.

"Hi Gohan!"

He turned toward the person who had greeted him, who was none other than Videl. She was offering to him a radiant smile. He felt his cheeks warming up. God she was so beautiful when she smiled…

He returned her smile with his own. "Hey Videl. You're okay?"

"Oh yes! I really can't wait to meet your mother!"

"I'm sure she will love you."

"You think so?"

"Of course. You're a great girl, Videl."

Videl blushed intensely, and Gohan too, realizing what he had just said. He rubbed his neck, looking away, while Videl was biting her lip, her eyes down, still as red.

"Is this… really what you think?" She asked shyly.

"Y-Yes." Gohan replied, the redness on his cheeks intensifying.

"Oh my, what's making you blush like that, you two? Has Gohan finally declared to you, Videl?"

"ERASA!!" The two teens cried, more red than ever.

"What? If I can't even joke anymore…" The blond said.

"Please, Erasa, don't joke with that." Gohan said.

"But you're so cute when you're blushing, Gohan; I couldn't resist." She said with a wink.

Gohan blushed even more, if that was possible, while Videl glared at Erasa. The blond noticed it, and she smirked.

"Sorry Videl, I forgot that he was yours." She said.

"Wha-What?" Gohan stammered, his face ready to explode.

At this moment, the bell rang, announcing the beginning of class.

"Oh, there's the bell. See you in class, love birds!" She said with a wink, before running toward her class.

"I hate her." Videl declared, still as red.

* * *

After class, Gohan and Videl went to the roof, preparing to go to Gohan's.

"So, how are we going to your house?" Videl asked. "Do we take my Jet Copter?"

"It would take to much time, and I'm faster."

He pressed the red button on his watch, and the Great Saiyaman's outfit replaced his high school clothes.

"So that's how you do to change in Saiyaman." Videl said.

"The Great Saiyaman, at your service!" Gohan said in his super hero's voice, doing a few poses.

Videl couldn't help but laugh. "You, you're so funny!"

Gohan grinned, his helmet hiding his blushing cheeks. She was so pretty when she laughed…

"May I, Miss?" He asked, coming closer to her.

Videl smiled. "Of course."

Gohan carried her in his arms, a hand under her knees and the other holding her back, and Videl wrapped her arms around his neck. The two of them blushed due to this closeness, and at the same time, they found this very pleasant.

"Ready?" Gohan asked.

Videl nodded her head, and he took off to the sky, with her in his arms.

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 7**

Videl was feeling wonderfully good. The beautiful view she had, the refreshing wind blowing on her face, Gohan's powerful arms holding her… She had never felt that good. She snuggled a bit more against him, closing her eyes, breathing in his scent, making the most of this moment of bliss.

Gohan blushed, speeding up. Feeling her so close to him was a true calvary for his nerves, but on the other hand, it was extremely pleasant. He wanted to arrive at his home as soon as possible, and at the same time, he wanted this moment to last forever. He was a little confused by all the feelings this girl was awakening in him.

After about half an hour of flying, they saw the Sons' little house appear in view, and Gohan slowed down, starting to fly down. He landed in front of the little dome that was his home, and put Videl on the grass.

"That was fast." Videl said. Gohan thought he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice, but that had to be his imagination.

He smiled at her, putting his Saiyaman outfit back in his watch. "Come on, let's go see my mother."

"I can't wait!" Videl said.

Gohan chuckled, and then went to open the front door, letting Videl enter before entering himself.

"Mom! We're here!" He shouted in the house.

Chichi came out from the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel, and she smiled when she saw her eldest son with a beautiful girl.

"Oh, you must be Videl. I'm so glad to finally meet you." She said.

"Hello, Mrs. Son. It's an honor to meet you." Videl said, bowing respectfully.

"Oh, you're so polite. But please, call me Chichi."

Videl smiled. "Okay, Chichi."

Gohan looked carefully at the exchange between the two women. It seemed to go rather well. Very well, actually.

"I really like this girl, Gohan! She will really be perfect for you!" Chichi then said, clapping her hands.

The two teens blushed.

"Mom! You promised me!" Gohan cried.

"But I really think so!" Chichi insisted. She put her hands on her hips. "Why, you don't find her to your liking?"

"I never said that!" He exclaimed, more red than ever.

"So you like her?" Chichi asked.

"I didn't say that either!"

"Do you like her or not?"

Videl looked at Gohan, curious. What would his answer be?

"I…" He stopped, looking away, his face on fire. "I'm going to do my homework."

Not waiting for a reply, he went to his room. Videl didn't know why, but she was disappointed that he didn't answer. She would have liked to know what Gohan was feeling for her.

_I think you're really beautiful._

She blushed when she thought of those words he had written to her. And yet, those words were all she needed to answer her question. Gohan was in lo-

"Do you want something to drink, dear?"

Videl blinked. Then she smiled. "No thank you. I think I will join Gohan and do my homework, too."

"I will lead you to his room."

"Thank you."

Chichi smiled. She definitely liked this girl. She was really perfect for Gohan.

* * *

Gohan had started to do his week-end's homework. But he had a hard time concentrating.

_Why does Mom just have to embarrass me all the time? And in front of Videl, on top of that! It seem as though it amuse her… And it's certainly the case._

His thoughts were interrupted when his bedroom's door opened. He turned his head toward it, seeing his mother and Videl at the door.

"Gohan, your friend came to do her homework with you." Chichi said.

"That doesn't bother you, does it?" Videl asked.

He smiled. "Of course not."

"Then I will leave you. Be good." Chichi said, before going back to the kitchen to continue to make diner, leaving the two teens alone in Gohan's room, which he shared with his little brother.

Videl's eyes looked around the room. It was rather small, but comfortable. There were two beds, side by side, a night table between them, a desk – where Gohan was doing his homework at this moment – a closet, and a bookcase.

"Whose is the other bed?" Videl asked.

"To my little brother." Gohan replied.

"I didn't know you had a brother."

Gohan smiled. "His name is Goten. He's seven. There's a picture on the night table, if you want to see what he looks like."

Videl sat down on one of the beds, and took the frame which was on the night table, looking at the picture. There was Gohan who had his little brother on his shoulder.

"Aww… He's so cute…" Videl couldn't help but say.

"Isn't he?" Gohan said, smiling.

_Gohan isn't bad either, in this picture. _Videl thought, a light shade of pink covering her cheeks._ This navy blue gi suits him really well…_

"He went to his friend's house today." Gohan said. "But he should be back for diner."

Videl put the frame back on the night table, then got up from the bed, going to sit down on the spare chair before the desk.

"So, with what you began?" She asked.

"Math."

Videl grimaced. "Ugh. I hate math."

"It's not that complicated, when you know the trick." He said. "Here, I will explain it to you."

They spent the next hour studying, Videl listening attentively to Gohan's explanations.

"See, you can do it." Gohan said, smiling warmly at her.

Videl blushed a little. "It's thanks to you. You explain so well."

"You think so?" He asked, rubbing his neck.

She smiled. "Yes. You would make a very good teacher. Did you ever think of making it your profession?"

"I'm still thinking about it." Gohan replied. "Actually, I'm still hesitating to what I want to do."

She lifted a brow. "Between what you're hesitating?"

"Between becoming a teacher, a scientist, and… a doctor."

Videl grinned. "I can see you as a doctor. Doctor Son Gohan. Sounds good, don't you think?"

Gohan chuckled. It was true that it sounded good.

The room's door opened abruptly, nearly making the two teens jump.

"Big brother! Is it true that your future wife is here?" The new comer, who was none other than Goten, said.

Gohan and Videl blushed.

"Goten! Videl is not my future wife! Who put that idea in your head?!"

Goten looked at him innocently. "It's Mommy who told me that. It's not true?"

"No!!" Gohan cried, more red than ever.

Videl got up from her chair and came near the little boy, her cheeks going back to their normal color.

"You must be Goten. I'm Videl." She said.

Goten stared at her with his big innocents eyes. "Oh, you're pretty."

Videl smiled. "Thank you."

"Why you don't want to marry my brother? You would become my big sister!"

Videl blushed, as Gohan dived his face in his book, also blushing.

"Well, to get married, you have to be in love." She replied.

"And you're not in love with Gohan?"

"I…" Videl stopped, not being sure of the answer herself. Gohan lifted his head from his book, staring at her, wondering why she seemed to hesitate.

"So, are you in love with Gohan or not?" Goten insisted.

"I…" Videl said again, hesitating.

_Why isn't she answering?_ Gohan wondered.

"Kids, diner is ready!!"

"Yippeeeee!! I'm starving!!" Goten exclaimed, before dashing toward the kitchen, his question forgotten.

Videl stayed immobile, still blushing, the little Goten's question ever in her mind. Was she in love with Gohan?

"Videl?"

She nearly jumped when she heard Gohan calling her, and turned around, finding herself in front of him. When did he get up? She didn't hear him come near her, so much she was deep in thought.

"Yes?"

"Why…?" He stopped, hesitating to ask his question.

"Why, what?" Videl asked.

_Why hadn't you answered? Why did you seem to hesitate?_ He asked silently. He shook his head.

"Nothing. Let's go have diner."

* * *

_How do they do to eat so much?_ Videl wondered, staring at Gohan and Goten as they devoured everything that came to their hands. There were tons and tons of plates piled up around the two boys, and yet they didn't seem to have finished. She was so absorbed by the way they ate that she forgot to eat.

"You're not eating, Videl?" Chichi asked, not seeming affected anymore than that by the way her sons were eating.

"How… How can they eat so much?" Videl asked, having a hard time to take her eyes off the two brothers.

Chichi laughed. "Oh, you'll get used to it. After all, if you have to marry my Gohan, you'll have to cook for him."

Videl blushed, while Gohan nearly choked. He coughed, and hit his chest, making the food pass.

"Mom!! What are you talking about??" He cried. "How many times do I have to tell you that there's NOTHING between Videl and me! So stop imagining things!"

"And you want me to believe that you don't have feelings for Videl?"

Gohan blushed furiously. "Can we drop this subject, already?"

"Why do you always avoid the question? Don't you think it would be easier if you'll just tell her what you're feeling for her?"

"There's nothing to say because I feel nothing for her!!" He exclaimed, standing up abruptly from his chair, knocking it over.

A heavy silence followed this declaration. Even Goten had stopped eating, surprised for his brother to lose his cool like this. But when Gohan's eyes stopped on Videl, he was surprised by what he saw. She seemed… hurt? But… Why?

She lowered her head. _I'm such an idiot. To think I really believed that he had feelings for me. At least, now, it's clear. But why does it hurt so much?_

"Ex-Excuse me, I will go take a walk. I'm not very hungry." She said, getting up from the table.

"Videl, wait…" Gohan tried.

But she ignored him, and got out of the kitchen, then of the house.

"What are you waiting for?" Chichi said suddenly. "Go after her!"

"Y-Yes." He said, before getting out in his turn.

* * *

Videl didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get away from this house as soon as possible. From _him_.

"Videl, wait!"

And he, like an idiot, he had followed her! Didn't he understand that she wanted to be left alone? She sped up.

"Videl, please, listen to me!"

"Leave me alone!"

"But Videl! You don't understand!"

"On the contrary, I understood really well! You made it really clear: you feel nothing for me!"

"But why does it affect you so much?"

"It doesn't affect me at all! I really don't care!

"Videl, at least stop walking, so we can talk!"

"I have nothing to say to you!"

"Please, Videl, listen to me!"

He caught her wrist, but she freed herself briskly from his hold.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She said, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry…" He sighed. At least she had stopped walking. "Listen, Videl, I…"

"You what?"

_I love you! Why is this so hard to say?_ He thought.

"Just why did you follow me?" Videl asked, crossing her arms. "If you have something to tell me, say it now."

"I…" He sighed. "It's starting to get cool, Videl, we better go back."

"Go back if you want. I want to stay alone a bit."

"Then I'm staying too."

She rolled her eyes, and resumed her walk. The sun was starting to set, and it was a breathless sight. This sight seemed to calm Videl, whose face became more serene. But Gohan wasn't looking at the sunset; he was staring at Videl, always marveled by her beauty.

"Why are you staring at me, again?" She asked, having sensed his eyes on her.

He looked away, blushing. "I… I told you why. Well, wrote."

Videl blushed despite herself. "Oh…"

There was a rather uncomfortable silence between the two teens, as the sun was setting completely, and the first stars were starting to appear in the sky. Then, Gohan turned toward Videl, and smiled slightly.

"We're going back?"

She sighed. "If you want…"

* * *

Videl was installed in the guest room. Chichi had told her that it was supposed to be Goten's room, but he preferred to sleep with his big brother.

She prepared her stuff for her shower, then got out of the room, walking toward the bathroom. In her way, she passed the boys' bedroom's door, which was half-open. She heard voices coming from inside, and, curious, came near the door, listening to the two brothers' conversation…

"-hy was Videl mad?" Goten's voice asked.

"I don't really know…" Gohan's one replied. "I think it's related to what I said…"

"When you said to Mommy that you felt nothing for her?"

"Yes, I think."

"Is it true?"

There was a brief moment of silence. "What is?"

"That you feel nothing for Videl?"

Another moment of silence, this time longer.

"…Can you keep a secret, Goten?" Gohan asked.

"Of course!"

"Actually I…" Videl held her breath. "I'm in love with her."

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 8**

Videl froze, her breath cut.

_"I'm in love with her."_

No, it wasn't possible, she must have heard wrong… Gohan couldn't be…

The two brothers' conversation kept on.

"Why don't you tell her?" Goten asked.

"Well… I don't think that it's reciprocated." Gohan replied.

There was a brief moment of silence. "Reci… what?"

Gohan chuckled. "It means she doesn't share my feelings."

"Oh!" Goten said, finally understanding. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… She hardly even considers me as a friend."

"Oh… Too bad, I'd have liked her to become my big sister. She's kind and very pretty."

"Yeah, I know. Although she's not always kind to me." He added with a small chuckle.

The conversation seemed to be over, and Videl resumed her walk toward the bathroom, still all moved by everything she had just heard.

_"I'm in love with her."_

* * *

She couldn't sleep, not being able to stop thinking about it.

_He's really in love with me… I still can't believe it… Why? Why does he love me? I was so mean to him, and he, he loves me. It doesn't make sense._

She sighed, turning to the side. What did she have to do, now that she knew his feelings for her? She lied on her back, now staring at the ceiling.

"This is pointless. I won't be able to sleep." She said to herself. She got up from the bed, and then got out of the room, going to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water.

What a surprise it was when she saw _him_, seated at the table, eating a huge piece of meat. He lifted his head when he heard her enter, and their eyes met. Videl felt her cheeks flaring up suddenly, without really knowing why.

Gohan blushed in seeing her like this; her hair down, a bit tousled, wearing a rather tight tank top and pyjamas pants. He found her extremely beautiful, like that.

But he pulled himself together and asked her:

"Why are you up? Can't sleep?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I was a bit hungry."

"_A bit_?" She asked, eyeing the huge piece of meat he was still holding.

He laughed, and would have scratched the back of his head if his hands weren't already busy holding the meat. "I have a big appetite."

"I noticed."

"Err… You want some?" He asked.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry."

"You're sure? You didn't eat during diner, and my mom's cooking is the best. You're missing something."

She laughed. "Why not, after all."

Gohan grinned, glad to see her laughing, and not mad at him. But he still wondered why what he said during diner affected her so much, whatever she said about it.

Videl sat down next to him, and helped herself to all the dishes Gohan got out. And he hadn't lied; she had never eaten something so good.

"It's delicious." She said.

"I told you so."

She smiled, and continued to eat her delicious meal in Gohan's company. She still had a hard time to get used to the way the young man ate, but concentrated on her meal, trying to ignore it.

_Nonetheless, I wonder how he does to eat so much without gaining weight. _She thought. She looked at him, devouring his food like it was his last meal.

_And to think he loves me…_

* * *

"Ah… I ate well!" Gohan said, rubbing his belly.

Videl stared at him, wide-eyed. "And you call _that_ being a bit hungry? You ate enough to feed an army!"

He scratched the back of his head with a small embarrassed smile. Videl smiled. He was so cute when he did that.

_Whoa, what the hell am I thinking?_ She shook her head, trying to dispel this thought from her mind.

"Everything's alright, Videl?" Gohan asked when he saw her shake her head suddenly.

"Yeah, don't worry." She said.

She looked at him, and then started to laugh suddenly. Gohan blinked, not understanding what was making her laugh like this, although he found her really beautiful when she laughed.

"What, what's it?" He asked.

"You gave rice all over your face!" She said, keeping on laughing.

He blinked once again, and then started to laugh too. Her laugh was contagious.

"Here, let me do it." She said, finally calming down.

She took a napkin and approached Gohan, starting to clean up his face. He blushed, but couldn't take his eyes off of the girl. She finished cleaning up his face, then felt his gaze on her, and lifted her eyes up toward his. She blushed at his gaze's intensity, her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed, incapable of taking her eyes off of his. Gohan's hand seemed to move on its own, and came to stroke Videl's cheek. She held her breath, as he was approaching his face to hers, closing his eyes, and she also closed her eyes, waiting for the touching of his lips…

"What are you two doing up at this hour?"

They moved away from each other abruptly, blushing to the ears. Chichi blinked, and then she smirked.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Mom! Nothing happened!!" Gohan protested.

"But if I hadn't arrived, something would have happened, wouldn't it? Ah, how I regret to have interrupted you! To think you nearly kissed!"

They blushed even more. Videl couldn't believe it. They had _really_ been about to kiss, and this time it wasn't to escape, nor was it to unmask him. She had _wanted_ him to kiss her. She was dying for him to kiss her, actually.

_What's happening to me? Since when do I want to kiss boys?_

Not any boy; Gohan. She wanted _Gohan_ to kiss her. This realization hit her. Hard.

"By the way, you still haven't answered my question." Chichi reminded. "What are you two doing up at this hour?"

Gohan rubbed his neck. "I was a bit hungry."

"I see. You're lucky I always leave a few dishes in the fridge, in case you or Goten were 'a bit hungry' during the night, which happens quite often." She then turned toward Videl. "And you, Videl, were you also 'a bit hungry'?"

"Well actually, not really." Videl replied. "I had just come down to fetch a glass of water, but Gohan proposed me to join him. And I have to say that your cooking is really the best I've ever tasted."

"Why, thank you, Videl." Chichi said with a smile.

"And you, Mom, what are you doing up?" Gohan asked in his turn.

"I heard noises, so I came to see."

"Did we wake you? I'm sorry." Gohan said.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was reading a book. I didn't see the time pass; I didn't realize it was already this late." Chichi replied. "Well, I see that you've finished eating, so go back to bed now. It's late."

They nodded, and got up from the table, getting out of the kitchen, leaving Chichi alone. She went to fetch a glass of hot milk.

"To think they nearly kissed…" She said to herself, before her glass of milk. "If I hadn't interrupted them, I could have already been a grandmother! It's really a shame!"

* * *

Gohan was lying on his bed for a good while now, but he couldn't sleep. The "nearly kiss" scene was replaying over and over in his head. Because it really was that. A "nearly kiss". They had really nearly kissed, and he had seen clearly that she had wanted it as much as him.

She had wanted to kiss him…

When she woke up, Videl took a few moments to realise where she was. Then, she remembered what happened last night, and she blushed instantaneously.

_To think we nearly kissed… _She thought._ I still can't believe it… I really don't understand what's happening to me lately._

_"I'm in love with her."_

She blushed even more, thinking about the conversation she had overheard between Gohan and his little brother. She shook her head, wanting to dispel this thought from her mind. Then she sighed, and got up from the bed. She took what she needed from her bag for her morning wash then got out of the room, walking toward the bathroom. In her way, she met Gohan…

…Who only wore pants, a towel around his neck, his hair still wet.

Videl's cheeks took fire. _Oh… My… God…_

"Oh, hey Videl. Did you sleep well?" Gohan asked, completely ignorant of Videl's gaze that was detailing each of his muscles.

"Videl? Videl, do you hear me?" Gohan said, shaking his hand in front of her face when he saw that she wasn't replying.

She jumped, and blushed even more, realizing what she had been doing. _What's wrong with me, suddenly?_

"Err… You were saying?" She asked, concentrating her gaze in his eyes, and not on his God's body.

He sighed. "Nothing important. Were you going to the bathroom?" He asked, noticing the bathroom stuff she was carrying in her arms.

"Yes. And I will be going now." She said. "See you later."

Videl hurriedly went to the bathroom, which she locked as soon as she entered. She took her face in her hands.

_I can't believe I was… I was checking him out!_

Because it really was what she had done: she had checked him out. But could you really blame her? How can one not check out such a body.

_Thanks God he didn't notice anything… It's a good thing that he's so naïve, after all._

She shook her head, trying to dispel the image of a shirtless Gohan from her mind. Without much success. She decided that a shower would do her good. A very cold shower.

* * *

Once again, Videl had a hard time concentrating on her meal with the two brothers devouring their breakfast, while Chichi was eating like it was nothing.

She shook her head and started to eat. It was ever as good. She decided that this would be a good opportunity to know a bit more about one of the world's strongest women.

"Tell me, Chichi," She started, attracting Gohan's mother attention. "Where did you learn to fight?"

Chichi smiled, glad to have someone to talk to during the meal for once. "It's my father who taught me martial arts, himself being the Turtle Hermit's disciple. So I'm using the Turtle way of fighting."

"The Turtle Hermit?" Videl asked, surprised. "I've read somewhere that Son Goku was also the Turtle Hermit's disciple. It this how you two met?"

"Not exactly." Chichi replied. "We met a little before he became his disciple, and we were searching for him."

"You were searching for him? Why?"

"The Turtle Hermit had in his possession a magic fan which could put out any fire, and because the Frying Mountain was preventing my father and myself to enter our castle, my father sent me to look for him. And I met Goku on the way."

"The Frying Mountain? Your castle? What is your father's name?"

"Gyumao. Why?"

Videl gaped. "You… You mean that you're the Ox King's daughter?"

"It's true that he's a king, I tend to forget it." Chichi said.

"But that means… that Gohan is a prince!" Videl realized.

Gohan lifted his head from his meal when he heard his name. He blinked.

"I'm a what?" He asked.

"You're a prince!! How come you never told me??"

He blinked again. "I am a prince?"

"Yes! Your grandfather is a king, which makes you a prince!"

He scratched his hair. "Really?"

"It's impossible to be that ignorant! You are a prince and you didn't even know it??"

"Well… I knew that my grandfather is a king, but I never thought about the fact that it would make me a prince. Although it seems logical, in the end."

"Does it mean that I'm a prince, too?" Goten asked innocently, lifting his head from his meal.

Gohan smiled at his little brother's innocence. "Yes Goten, you are a prince, too."

"Wait till I tell Trunks! He doesn't stop saying that he's a prince because his father is the prince of Saiyammmfff…"

Goten couldn't finish his sentence because his big brother had just put his hand over his mouth, preventing him to keep on. Gohan looked nervously at Videl, who was looking at them with a frown.

"Saiya… What?" She asked.

"Err… Don't mind it, it's not important." Gohan said, laughing nervously.

Videl looked at him, narrowing her eyes.

"By the way, what are you going to do today?" Chichi asked, distracting Videl's attention.

She blinked. "I don't really know… I hadn't thought about it."

_Thanks, Mom._ Gohan thought.

"What would you say to go swimming in the lake nearby?" Chichi proposed.

"But… I didn't bring a swimsuit…" Videl said.

"It doesn't matter; you can borrow mine, if you want. What do you say? And you can take Goten with you. I'm sure you will have fun."

Gohan and Videl looked at each other, and then shrugged.

"Why not."

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 9**

"Where could it be?" Chichi wondered, throwing her clothes away from the closet all around her. Her clothes were scattered all around the room as she was looking for her swimsuit.

Videl was standing a bit away, watching Gohan's mother as she rummaged in her closet.

"Ah-ha!" Chichi said, triumphant. She drawn herself up and turned toward Videl, her violet swimsuit in her hands.

"Here, dear. I'm sure it will suit you really well." She said, holding out the swimsuit to the girl.

Videl took the suit, and noticed with a light grimace that it was a two pieces.

"Err… You wouldn't have a one piece suit?" She asked shyly.

"I'm sorry, Videl, but it's all I have. But I'm sure you will be very cute with it. Gohan will love it." Chichi said, winking at her.

Videl blushed despite herself. "Wh-Why do you say that?"

Chichi smiled. "For nothing. Come on, go change. Gohan and Goten should already be ready by now."

Videl nodded, a bit reluctant, and went to the guest room to change. Once done, she looked at herself in the mirror. The swimsuit suited her perfectly, but it was still a two pieces. Letting out a sigh, she put on her clothes over the swimsuit then got out of the room. She went to the living room, where the two brothers were waiting for her, already wearing their swimming trunks with a shirt. Chichi was here too.

"Videl's here!" Goten exclaimed, overexcited. "Can we go now? Can we go?"

Gohan chuckled at his little brother's enthusiasm. "Yes, Goten, we can go."

"Then let's go!" Goten said, taking his big bother's and Videl's hands, starting to walk toward the door, dragging them with him. "Bye Mommy!"

Goten dragged them outside before they had the time to say bye to Chichi. This one chuckled, and then went back to the kitchen. With two demi Saiya-jin as sons, she had to proceed early to cook lunch.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the lake, Goten didn't waste any time, taking his shirt off and diving in the water.

"Come on, Gohan, Videl, come and join me! The water is great!" He called.

"We're coming!" Gohan replied.

He took his shirt off, letting it fall on the grass, then turned toward Videl. The girl swallowed hard in seeing him shirtless once more, her cheeks crimson.

"You're coming, Videl?" He asked.

"Err… Yes."

She started by removing her black shorts, then, slowly, took her white shirt off. Gohan felt his face burning him, his breath caught in his throat, as his eyes were unconsciously wandering over Videl's perfect body. Then, realizing what he was doing, he gathered all his willpower and looked away, his face on fire.

Videl didn't know if she should feel flattered or outraged. _He was checking me out!_

"Come on! What are you waiting for? Come in the water!" Goten called again.

"Y-Yes. W-We're coming." Gohan stammered, still as red.

He ran toward the lake and dived in the water. He stayed a long while underwater, refreshing his head. But the fact that he hadn't came up worried Videl, who walked toward the lake's edge.

"Gohan?"

"Don't worry." Goten reassured. "My brother can stay very long underwater. Come, you too!"

"Okay…"

She entered the water. Indeed, the water was really great. She dived her head underwater, soaking her hair, and then started to swim a bit. After a few minutes, she started to worry for Gohan again, who still hadn't came up.

"Is it normal for him to stay so long underwater?" She asked Goten.

"There's nothing to worry about, he had already stayed way longer than that underwater."

"If you say so…" She said, not seeming very convinced.

More minutes passed, and Gohan still wasn't coming up. Videl was seriously starting to get worried. It has been nearly ten minutes since he had dived. Goten tried as he could to reassure her, telling her that there was nothing to worry about, but she was still worried. She decided to go and fetch him. She took a deep breath and dived underwater, starting to swim in search of Gohan, sinking into the depth of the lake.

At last, after a few minutes of searching, she finally found him. She couldn't believe her eyes. He was here, swimming calmly, like nothing happened, while she was worrying for him!

Gohan felt Videl coming toward him and turned toward her, looking interrogatively at her. She approached him, took his hand – making him blush – and started to swim toward the surface. He then noticed that she was lacking air. She wouldn't make it to the surface. There was just one thing to do: give her his own air. So, he pulled her toward him, and smacked his mouth on hers, giving her his air.

Videl widened her eyes, her cheeks on fire. And then, she realized that he was giving her his air. He pulled away after a while, blushing, and, still holding Videl's hand, started to swim again toward the surface. They got their head out of the water, finally able to breath.

Having finally taken her breath, Videl smacked Gohan upside the head, glaring at him.

"Why did you do that for? I could very well make it all the way! I didn't need your air!" She said.

He rubbed his head where she had hit him. "You wouldn't have made it all the way, Videl, I did that for you."

"Yeah, right! In fact, you just took advantage of it to kiss me!!"

Gohan blushed furiously. "Not at all! You were lacking air; it was the only thing to do!"

"Yeah, right, I believe you! If you wanted to kiss me, you just had to do it, not finding stupid excuses to do it!"

Gohan's eyes widened, while Videl blushed suddenly, realizing what she had just said.

"Err… Not that I would have let you, eh." She added.

"What are you talking about?" Goten asked, swimming toward them.

"N-Nothing important." Gohan replied.

"Okay!" Goten said happily, swimming away from them.

Gohan sighed, his hand going through his wet hair. "Look, Videl, I'm sorry if I offended you, but I swear I didn't do that to kiss you. You were really lacking air, I was just worried for you."

Videl looked at him for a while. He seemed sincere. Finally, she sighed.

"Alright, I believe you. But don't do it again!" She said.

"But Videl, if you're lacking air, I'm not going to let you drown…"

"I could very well make it! And anyway, how could you give me your air while you were underwater for more than ten minutes? How come you still had air to give me?"

"Well, I come here to swim since I'm very little, so I acquired a good stamina."

"But still, ten minutes… Only professionals can hold that long…"

"Well, I _am_ the Great Saiyaman, ain't I?" He said with a big grin.

Videl couldn't help but laugh. Gohan's grin widened. How he loved to see her laughing. She was even more beautiful. He could spend hours staring at her laughing and never get tired of it.

Videl blushed in seeing how Gohan looked at her, and looked away.

_"I'm in love with her."_

She blushed even more. _Why can't I stop thinking about it?_

"So, err.. Wanna race?" She proposed. "The first to reach the lake's edge wins, alright?" They were in the middle of the lake, at this moment.

Gohan shrugged. "Alright."

"Good." She said. "Ready? GO!!"

They started to swim, Gohan letting Videl have the advantage. She noticed it, and stopped abruptly, frowning. He also stopped, looking interrogatively at her.

"Why are you stopping?" He asked.

"You were letting me win!" She said, angered. "I already told you that I can't stand it when someone's letting me win just because I'm a girl!"

Gohan lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's really impossible to have fun with you! Argh! You're so irritating!"

Gohan looked at her swim toward the lake's edge then get out of the water, furious. He sighed, then lied on the water on his back, staring at the cloudless sky.

_I really am an idiot. _He thought._ I should have known that she would notice that I was letting her win and that she wouldn't like that… She must hate me even more, now…_

He sensed his little brother swim toward him and straightened up.

"Why is Videl angry?" Goten asked.

He sighed again. "I acted like an idiot again."

"Why don't you just tell her that you love her?" Goten asked innocently.

Gohan looked at Videl, who was lying on the grass, her elbows supporting her, making sure that she was far enough so she couldn't hear them.

"I already told you why." He replied. "She would hate me even more if she knew."

"I don't think she hates you."

Gohan smiled. "That's nice, Goten."

"But I really think so!"

Gohan ruffled his little brother's hair affectionately, and this one grinned at him.

"Thanks, Squirt."

* * *

Videl looked at the two brother's exchange, wondering what they were talking about. Then, she shrugged, and lied completely on the grass, closing her eyes, deciding to tan a bit.

After a while, she sensed that someone was shading her, and then heard Gohan's voice tell her:

"If you stay too long in the sun, you're going to burn. We should have brought solar crème."

She opened an eye. "What do you want?"

He heaved a deep sigh, sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry to have wanted to let you win. I should have known that you wouldn't like it. So I thought… that we could do a rematch. I promise I won't lose on purpose, this time."

She seemed to think for a while, and then she smiled, standing up. "Alright! But I'll beat you even if you don't lose on purpose!"

Gohan grinned, standing up in his turn. "I highly doubt it."

"You'll see!" She said. They walked till they were at the lake's edge. "This time, we'll swim to the other end of the lake. The first to get there wins."

"Okay." He said. "Ready? GO!!"

They dived at the same time, and started to swim. This time, Gohan had the advantage, but Videl was going to give up without a fight, and succeed in returning to his level. Regrettably for her, Gohan sped up, and this time she didn't succeed in catching him. He won the race, but Videl wasn't far behind.

"I want my revenge!!" Videl declared, taking her breath.

"Take your breath, first." Gohan said, laughing.

She glared at him, but ended laughing too. They calmed down after a while, but they didn't seem to be able to stop smiling.

Goten swam toward them. "I wanna race with you too!"

They spent all the morning having fun in the water, with races, water fights, or some other games. Videl couldn't remember having so much fun. She was really having a great time.

* * *

Videl was exhausted. After lunch, they had returned to the lake, having fun in the water all day. But although she had a great time, she was now completely spent.

She took her shower then went to bed in the guest room. She immediately fell asleep, and dreamed…

* * *

Gohan couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eye, she saw Videl in that violet swimsuit, marrying her Goddess body's curves perfectly.

He turned to the side. _I'm such a pervert._ He thought. _I'm worst than Master Roshi. _

He then rolled on his back, now staring at the ceiling, and let out a deep sigh. He decided to get up and go fetch something to eat. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

Without noise, he got out of his room, and walked toward the kitchen. In his way, he passed the guest room where Videl was sleeping. He stopped when he heard some kind of moans coming from the room, and frowned. He listened more carefully.

"Oh… yes…" He heard her moan.

He frowned even more. It was Videl who was moaning like that? He opened the door slightly, and saw that she was sleeping. So she was dreaming? But what kind of dream could make her moan like this?

"Hmm… Yes… It's good…"

He blushed suddenly, finally understanding what exactly Videl was dreaming about. He couldn't help but feel jealous. She was surely dreaming about another boy. Just imagining it, he couldn't stand it.

He was about to go on his way, when he heard her moan again.

"Hmm… Gohan… Don't stop…"

His eyes widened, as his face took fire. She was dreaming… of him? Doing… He blushed even more.

"Gohan…!"

His face was ready to explode, and he decided that he had heard enough. He nearly ran toward the kitchen, and didn't hear what Videl said then, in her sleep…

"Gohan… I love you…"

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 10**

Gohan was lying on his bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about what he shouldn't have heard. He really couldn't believe it. She had dreamed of him… She had dreamed of him doing…

He blushed. Then he shook his head. He had to stop thinking about it. After all, what did that mean? Well, okay, she had dreamed of him. A not very decent dream. But really, it didn't mean anything. He didn't have to worry about that.

Still, the way she had moaned his name…

Gohan rolled on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow.

He wasn't going to sleep anytime soon…

* * *

Videl woke up with a startle, panting, her body covered in sweat. She blushed instantaneously, remembering the dream she'd just had.

_My God… I can't believe I dreamed that we were doing _that_! Why the hell did I have that dream? And why with _him_?_

And then, a particular sequence of the dream came to her mind. The moment she told him that she loved him…

She shook her head. _It was just a dream; it doesn't mean anything._ She persuaded herself. With that thought in her mind, she got up, and prepared her stuff for her morning shower. God knows she needed one.

* * *

He hadn't slept, Videl's moans haunting him all night long. And now, his _lovely_ little brother was jumping on his stomach, telling him to get up.

He sighed. "Okay, Okay, I'm getting up." He said, resigning himself to get up despite his tiredness.

Goten finally stopped to jump on his stomach, and then ran out of their room, telling him in the way to hurry up and get ready because he was hungry.

Gohan got up from his bed, yawning, and then went to take some clean clothes from his closet for his morning shower. He then got out of the room, walking toward the bathroom, dragging his feet. He was so tired. He hoped that a good shower would wake him up.

He met Videl on his way, her hair down and still wet, and froze at the same time as her. They both blushed, looking away.

"H-Hi Videl." He said, not daring to look at her in the eyes.

"Hi Gohan." She replied, having as much a hard time as him to look at him.

An uncomfortable silence installed between them, while they stayed standing in the corridor, avoiding their gazes.

"Well err… I'm going to take my shower." Gohan said, before resuming his way toward the bathroom.

As for Videl, she continued her way toward the kitchen, trying to dispel the images of Gohan taking his shower that were coming to her mind.

* * *

Chichi watched the two teens during breakfast. They were abnormally quiet, seeming to be avoiding their gazes. What could have happened between them for them to be so embarrassed? They didn't seem ready to tell her…

"By the way, Gohan," She said, attracting her eldest son's attention. "I need you to run some errands for me. You could take Videl with you and show her around the nearby village, while you're at it."

Gohan tensed. Run some errands for his mother, it wasn't a problem, but take Videl with him? He was still too embarrassed for that. But he didn't think he had the choice.

He sighed, resigning himself. "Alright."

* * *

It was fortunate that Videl had brought her Jet Copter with her; he didn't feel capable to carry her against him. So, here they were, in the girl's Jet Copter, flying toward the nearest village to run some errands for Chichi.

"It's a bit more on the left." Gohan said, indicating the way.

"Okay." Videl said, keeping her eyes right in front of her, as she turned her Jet Copter a bit on the left, like her classmate had indicated her.

Apart from Gohan's indications, the trip was done in silence. A very uncomfortable silence, both being extremely embarrassed, for obvious reasons.

At last, they arrived to the village, and Videl landed her Jet Copter. They got out of the Jet, and Videl put it back on its capsule.

"So, where is the store we have to run errands in?" Videl asked, without really looking at Gohan.

"Follow me." He said, starting to walk toward their destination. Videl followed him.

They entered a little store, and the clerk's face lit up at seeing them entering.

"Gohan!" She said, as she went to hug the young man.

Videl narrowed her eyes, her fists clenched. _Who is that girl??_

Gohan smiled, hugging back the clerk. "Hi Lime. It's good to see you."

Lime stepped aside from her childhood friend and put her hands on her hips. "And can you tell me why you don't come to see me more often? It's been _months_ since the last time I saw you!" She reproached.

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Lime. I was a little busy with school and all…"

Videl coughed, starting to be tired of being ignored, which attracted the two childhood friends' attention.

"Oh, right." Gohan said. "Lime, this is Videl, a classmate. Videl, this is Lime, a childhood friend."

"Glad to meet you, Videl." Lime said, all smiling. She extended her hand, which Videl forced herself to take, not wanting to seem rude.

"Same here." Videl said, shaking Lime's hand.

"Hmm… I think I already saw you on TV…" Lime said, looking closely at Videl. "Oh, I remember! You're Mister Satan's daughter, right?" She then turned toward Gohan. "And you are friends??"

"We're not friends." Videl said. "I just came to his house because I wanted to meet his mother."

"Oh."

_She still doesn't consider me as her friend… _Gohan thought sadly._ Even thought we had a good time together at the lake, yesterday…_

"Well!" Lime said suddenly. "I suppose that you are here to get your groceries. Give me the list, Gohan, I'll take care of it immediately."

Gohan got the list out of his pocket and gave it to Lime. "Here."

"Thank you." She smiled. She looked at the list's content. "It will take me a while. I know! I going to ask my grandfather to take care of it, like that, I will be able to spend some time with you and get to know Videl better! Wait here, I'll go look for him! Grandpa!!"

And she went looking for her grandfather. Videl crossed her arms. She didn't, but really didn't want to "get to know better" this Lime girl, who was way to close to Gohan in her taste. But it seemed that she didn't have a choice, because Lime came back a few moments later with, she supposed, her grandfather.

"Ah, Gohan." Lime's grandfather said. "It's been a long time since we last saw you. So, you're going to high school, now?"

Gohan smiled. "Hello, Mr. Lao. Yes, I started a few months ago."

"And who is this lovely girl? Your girlfriend?"

Gohan and Videl blushed.

"No, she's not my girlfriend, Mr. Lao. She's just a classmate." Gohan said.

"Oh, I see." The old man said. He then turned to Videl. "I am Lao."

Videl smiled. This man inspired her confidence – in contrary of Lime.

"Videl." She said simply.

Lao smiled. "Well, go have fun, while I'm taking care of your groceries."

"See you later, Grandpa." Lime said. She took Gohan's hand – causing Videl to narrow her eyes – and dragged him outside with her, barely giving him the time to say goodbye to Lao.

Videl said goodbye politely to the store owner and followed Lime and Gohan outside. She watched, her eyes narrowed, the two childhood friends' joined hands, and couldn't help but feel jealous. It was a stupid feeling, really, but she couldn't help but feel that way.

She decided to start the conversation. "So, since when you two know each other?"

"Since we're ten." Lime replied. "It was a few days before the Cell Games, actually. I had fallen in a river and Gohan saved me from drowning. I thought he was a pervert though, at the beginning."

Videl lifted a brow. "A pervert? Why is that?"

Gohan blushed slightly, while Lime explained to Videl how his hand had been touching her breast, when he had got her out of the water.

Videl chuckled. "Gohan, a pervert. I would never have thought that of him."

Gohan blushed furiously. "Hey! It was an accident if my hand landed there! I'm NOT a pervert!"

The two girls laughed, as Gohan was more and more blushing.

"We know you're not a pervert, Gohan. But it's so funny to tease you." Lime said, pinching Gohan's cheek.

Videl clenched her fists. She envied this complicity Gohan and Lime had, and the more she watched how they were, together, the more the jealousy she was feeling intensified.

_Why am I jealous like this? _She thought._ It's not like… I have feelings for Gohan…_

_Oh really?_ An annoying little voice in her mind asked.

Videl stopped walking, watching the two childhood friends as they were joking with each other, still holding hands. Gohan then turned toward her, having noticed that she had stopped, and smiled at her.

Her heart beat accelerated.

"You're coming, Videl?" He said, still smiling at her.

_I think… I'm in love…_

_In love with Gohan…_

* * *

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lao." Gohan said, taking the capsules containing his grocery.

"It's always a pleasure, Gohan." Lao replied.

"Come see me more often." Lime said. She approached him and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush lightly. Videl had to hold herself back from strangling this girl at this very moment.

"Well then, goodbye!" Gohan said.

Videl got her Jet Copter out of its capsule, and they climbed on it, waving at Lime and her grandfather before taking off.

"Lime is really nice, don't you think?" Gohan asked, as they were flying toward his home.

"Oh yes, absolutely lovely." Videl said sarcastically. But Gohan didn't seem to notice, because he was smiling.

"I think so too." He said.

Videl clenched her jaw. _Calm down._ She told herself. _I have nothing to be jealous of. I'm the one he loves anyway; he had said it clearly to Goten the other night._

_But why the heck did I have to fall in love with him??_

* * *

Gohan was helping his mother to put the groceries away. Chichi had flatly refused Videl's help, saying that she was a guest. Videl had tried to argue, but there was nothing she could do; Son Chichi was even more stubborn than her.

So here she was, sitting at the table, watching them as they put the groceries away while discussing. And the subject of their conversation was really starting to get on her nerves.

Gohan was telling his mother about their morning, and he was talking particularly about Lime, which annoyed Videl more and more. Finally, she snapped.

"And then Lime-"

"Enough!" She exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "Lime here, Lime there! There is only for this Lime!"

She got out of the kitchen, furious, but also feeling very stupid to have blown up like this. Gohan blinked, not understanding Videl's reaction.

"What's with her?"

Chichi smiled knowingly. "I think… that Videl likes you more than she lets on."

Gohan stared at his mother without understanding. "Huh?"

Chichi rolled her eyes. Her son may be a genius, bit when it came to girls, he was just as good as his father.

"She's jealous!" She said.

Gohan blinked again. "Jealous? Videl? Why would she be?"

"It's really impossible to be that blind! It's obvious that she's in love with you!"

Gohan blushed. "Wh… What? Videl, in love with me? But she hates me!"

"Trust me, she loves you." Chichi assured. "I know how to detect this kind of things."

They continued to put the groceries away, this time in silence. Gohan was deep in thought.

_Videl would be… in love… with me? I… I can't believe it. Of course, I'd dream for her to have feelings for me, but it's just a dream. She doesn't even consider me as a friend._

_But Mom is rarely wrong…_

* * *

Gohan knocked softly on the guest room's door, but he didn't get any reply.

"Videl?" he tried. "It's me, Gohan."

"Go away!!" He heard Videl shout from inside.

"Videl, it's lunch time." He tried again.

"I'm not hungry!!" Videl shouted again. "Now leave me alone!"

He sighed, and started to leave, but he stopped after a few steps. He made a U-turn, a new determination in his eyes.

"Videl, I'm entering." He announced, opening the door.

"I never allowed you to enter!!" Videl shouted, jumping up from the bed she had been lying on.

He sighed. "Videl, I don't understand… I thought you liked Lime?"

"Well you're wrong! I hate her! In fact, I can't stand her!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"That's not an answer."

"I don't give a damn about it!"

Gohan hesitated a few moments. "You wouldn't happen to be… jealous?"

Videl felt herself blushing despite herself. "And just why would I be jealous?"

"Well… Err… It's my mother who told me that… Me, I don't know…" Gohan replied, uneasy.

Videl cursed Chichi inwardly. "Well you're mother is wrong! I'm not jealous at all!"

"Then why you don't like Lime?"

"Because I don't like her, that's all! There are people you like and other that you don't!"

"But… Lime is a good person…"

"If you like her so much, why don't you go out with her?"

"I don't like Lime that way. She's like a sister to me."

_You're the one I love._ He added silently.

"I really don't care!" Videl said, even if deep down, she felt relieved that he said that. "Can you go out, now? I'd like to stay alone."

Gohan sighed, and went out of the room, leaving Videl alone, like she wished.

_Mom has to be wrong. _He thought._ Videl certainly isn't in love with me._

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 11**

Videl had missed lunch, staying in the guest room all along. And although she was saying the opposite, Gohan suspected that she must be hungry, so, he went to bring her a tray meal to the guest room.

Holding the tray with one hand, he knocked softly on the door with the other. This time, Videl came to open the door. She frowned when she saw him, carrying the tray meal.

"I told you I'm not hungry." She said.

"But it's past two, and you didn't eat anything since this morning. You have to be hungry."

"Well I'm not. Now leave, I have to finish packing."

Glancing inside the room, Gohan saw Videl's bag on the bed, a few clothes around it.

"You're already getting ready to leave?" He asked.

"Yes. I thought that I better start early. After all, I have a long way ahead of me."

A confused expression crossed Gohan's face. "But it doesn't even take me half an hour to fly to Satan City."

"Yes but this time, I'd rather take my Jet Copter."

Gohan lifted his brows. "But why? It will take you hours to go back to your home; I'm way faster."

"I know, but I still prefer to take my Jet Copter."

"Oh…" Gohan said, a little disappointed.

"Well, I have to finish packing." She said, getting ready to close the door. But Gohan held it.

"Wait." He said. "Are you sure you don't want to eat? After all, it may be the last time that you will taste my mother's cooking."

Videl seemed to think about it. Finally, she said: "Fine. You know I can't resist to your mother's cooking."

Gohan grinned. "Great. Here, I'm leaving you the tray."

"Thank you." She said softly, taking the tray from Gohan's hands, smiling lightly at him.

"Well then, I'll leave now."

Videl watched him walk away, then let out a sigh, and closed the room's door. She put the tray meal on the desk, and sat down on the chair in front of it, starting to eat.

She was really going to miss Chichi's cooking.

* * *

"Thank you for welcoming me at your home." Videl said, bowing respectfully. They were all outside, saying goodbye to the girl.

"You will always be welcomed here, Videl." Chichi said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you very much, Chichi."

"Do you really have to leave now?" Goten asked, in the verge of tears. "It's still early!"

Videl smiled at the little boy. She really became very attached to him. He was just too adorable.

"I'm afraid so, Goten. I have a long way ahead of me."

"But Gohan could take you there; he's way faster! Like that, you could stay here longer!"

"I know, Goten, but I prefer to use my own means."

Goten squeezed Videl's leg against him. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too." Videl said, ruffling his hair.

"You're going to come back, right?" Goten asked.

"Well… I guess I could…" She replied, a bit hesitantly.

"Great!!" Goten exclaimed, a big grin on his face.

Videl smiled. Then her gaze turned to Gohan, who was standing a bit in retreat. He had his hand in his pocket, his eyes down, looking a bit sad.

_Gohan…_

"Well then… Goodbye everyone." She said.

"Bye Videl!" Goten exclaimed.

Chichi smiled. "Goodbye Videl. I hope to see you again very soon."

"I hope so too, Chichi." She then turned toward Gohan, biting her lip. "See you tomorrow, Gohan."

He looked up at her and smiled slightly. "See you tomorrow, Videl. Be careful on the way."

"I will." She said.

She got her Jet Copter out of its capsule and climbed on it. With one last wave at the little family, she took off.

* * *

After long hours of flying, Videl finally arrived at her home, and she landed her Jet Copter in front of the great Manor. She climbed down of her Jet then put it back in its capsule, which found its place in her capsules' box.

She started to walk toward the front door when her cell phone rang. She got it out of her pocket and answered the call.

"Hello?"

_"Videl, finally! I tried to __join you the whole week-end!"_ She heard Erasa's voice say.

_It's strange that she wasn't able to join me. _Videl thought._ I always had my cell phone with me… Unless it didn't pick up, there. After all, they're living in a rather remote place._

_"Where the hell were you??"_ Erasa asked.

Videl hesitated, as she entered the Manor. Finally, she said:

"Can you come over? I'd rather talk to you about it in person."

_"O…kay…"_ came the reply.

"Then see you later."

_"Err… Yes. See you later."_

Videl hung up. She went to the kitchen, deciding to have a little snack while waiting for her friend. This long trip made her hungry.

But her cook's cooking was really nothing compared to Chichi's, which was really the best she had ever tasted. She was really going to miss it. And, she was also going to miss this warm atmosphere there was in this home.

About a quarter hour later, the door's bell rang. Videl let the butler answer it, keeping on eating calmly. A few moments later, he came to the kitchen with Erasa.

"Miss Satan, your friend came to see you." The butler said.

"Thank you, George, you may go."

"Yes, Miss Satan."

He left the kitchen, leaving the two friends alone. Erasa went to sit down beside Videl.

"So… Where were you this week-end?" The blonde asked.

Videl bit her lower lip. "I was… At Gohan's."

Erasa's eyes widened. "Oh my God! Then you two are finally together??"

"NO!!" Videl exclaimed, her cheeks on fire. "Do get the wrong idea; I only went to his house because I wanted to meet his mother."

Erasa looked at her with confusion. "Why would you want to meet his mother?"

"His mother is Son Chichi, one of the only women to have been finalist at the Tenkachi Budokai."

"Wow, and she's Gohan's mother?"

"Yes. You understand why I wanted to meet her."

Erasa nodded. "And… Did something interesting happen while you were at Gohan's?"

_You mean, aside from the fact that I discovered that Gohan is in love with me, to then realise that I was also in love with him? No, nothing interesting._ Videl thought sarcastically.

Videl sighed. "No, nothing interesting happened. Ah, yes, I discovered that Gohan is a prince."

Erasa blinked. "A prince?"

"Yes. His grandfather is the Ox King, which makes him a prince."

"Wow… Gohan, a prince… He had hidden it well from us…"

"Believe that he didn't even know it."

Erasa laughed. "That's Gohan alright." She said. "Hey! But that means that you will become a princess when you will marry him!"

Videl blushed furiously. "Stop saying nonsense! I certainly won't marry him!"

"Then it doesn't bother you if I try my chance with him?"

Videl narrowed her eyes. "If you're after him only because he's a prince, I think it's really low."

"But I'm not after him only for that. Even you must have noticed how handsome he is! On top of that, he's smart, kind, adorable… The fact that he's a prince is just a bonus!"

Videl clenched her fists. "Do… as you wish." She forced herself to say. "Go out with him, if you feel like it."

_You can always try. _She thought._ I'm the one he loves anyway._

* * *

"When will Videl come back?"

Gohan looked up from his book to his little brother, who was playing on the ground.

"I don't know, Goten." He replied. "I have to teach her how to fly though, so I guess she will come back very soon."

Goten smiled and turned back to his toys. Then suddenly, he stropped, seeming to realize something.

"Hey! You're going to teach her how to fly?? What about me? I want to learn how to fly too!"

Gohan scratched his hair. "Well, I can teach you now, if you want… It's only four, after all, and it shouldn't take you too long to learn."

"Really?" Gohan asked, his eyes sparkling.

Gohan smiled, getting up from his bed, placing his book on his desk. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Like he had suspected, Goten had learned to fly very fast, although he fell from the sky a few times before getting the trick.

Now, it was the day after, and Gohan was walking in the Orange Star High School's corridors full of teenagers. There wasn't crime to fight this morning. There wasn't much crime in the city since the Great Saiyaman has appeared for that matter, and he congratulated himself for that. And, he was less often late for class, which was a good thing.

He interrupted his train of thoughts when he saw Videl at her locker. He smiled, walking toward her.

"Hey Videl." He said.

She briefly turned her eyes toward him, mumbling a "Hi" then closed her locker and walked away hurriedly. Gohan blinked.

_What's with her?_

"Hi Prince Gohan!"

Gohan turned to Erasa, blinking. "Prince Gohan?" He repeated. "Where does that come from?"

"It's Videl who told me that. It's not true?" She asked.

"Well… Actually… Yes."

"Isn't it great? You're a prince!"

"Not so loud, Erasa! I prefer that it doesn't come out!" Gohan said.

"Always wanting to go unnoticed, eh? I respect that. You're lucky I hadn't told anyone yet."

"Thank you…" He said, relieved. "By the way, do you know what's with Videl? She barely said "hi" to me and then she left immediately after…"

"No idea… She doesn't tell me everything, you know."

* * *

All day long, Videl seemed to avoid Gohan, and the latter was more and more confused. Did he do some something wrong? Was she still mad at him because of Lime? Or was it something else? He really didn't understand the girl's behavior.

The last bell of the day rang, and Gohan decided to try an approach. He hurriedly put his things in his schoolbag then got out of the class, waiting in the corridors for Videl to come out in her turn. When she did, she walked past him, her head down, not seeming to have noticed him.

As she was walking past him, he caught her wrist, stopping her.

"Wait, Videl." He said.

Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, Gohan decided to launch in:

"Why are you avoiding me, Videl? What did I do wrong?"

"You… did nothing wrong…" She said softly.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

_Because I can't accept that I'm in love with you…_ She replied inwardly.

"I… I have to go…" She said, starting to walk away. He caught her wrist again.

"Videl, wait." He said. "At least explain it to me."

"Ah, Gohan! I was precisely looking for you!" Erasa said, walking toward the two brunets.

Gohan lifted his brows. "You were looking for me? Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me, like now?"

Videl glared draggers at the blonde. _How dare she propose to _my_ Gohan to go out with her?!_

She was so furious that she didn't even notice that she had just called the young man "my Gohan". She decided to intervene.

"He's taken." She stated.

The two others turned toward her, surprised.

"He's taken?" Erasa repeated.

"I am?" Gohan asked.

"Yes." Videl said calmly. "Gohan has to give me… Math lessons. Right, Gohan?"

The demi Saiya-jin blinked. "Math lessons?" He repeated.

"Yes, you promised me that you would give me math lessons in exchange of… You know…"

Realization could be read on Gohan's face. _She must be talking about her flying lessons!_

"Oh, that's right!" He said.

"In exchange of… what?" Erasa asked, looking at them suspiciously.

"It's between Gohan and me." Videl said. "Well, Gohan, we're going?"

"Err… yes."

He followed Videl toward the roof, wondering what could have caused this complete change of behavior in the girl. She had avoided him all day, and now, she was asking for her flying lessons. It was all so confusing.

Really, he will never understand girls.

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 12**

"It's your flying lessons that you wanted me to give you, right?" Gohan asked, as they were climbing up the stairs leading to the roof.

"Of course." Videl replied. "I couldn't say that in front of Erasa, nor could I say that I have to keep your little secret in exchange."

They arrived at the roof. Gohan pressed the red button on his watch, making his Great Saiyaman outfit appear on him, replacing his high school clothes. He then approached Videl.

"Err… It doesn't bother you that I carry you?" He asked shyly.

"It's not like it was the first time." Videl said.

Gohan nodded, and carried her in his arms, bridal style. Videl wrapped her arms around the Hero's neck, lowering her head to hide her red cheeks. He, he had his helmet to hide his.

"Err… We're going at my place, then?" He asked.

"I guess…" Videl replied.

He nodded his head, and took off, flying toward the mountains. Videl relaxed in his arms, leaning her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Gohan blushed even more, but he couldn't deny that he liked to have her so close to him.

As they were approaching the district 439, they met Goten in the way, flying toward them.

"Yeah! Videl's here!" He exclaimed happily.

The two teens chuckled.

"Hey Goten." Videl said. "I'm happy to see you too."

Goten grinned, as he was flying next to them. "And did you see? I can fly now! It's Gohan who taught me yesterday!"

Videl lifted a brow. "Yesterday? And you already know how to fly?" She said, surprised. She then turned to Gohan. "Does that mean that I will also learn to fly this fast?"

"I don't really know…" Gohan replied. "I don't think so…"

She frowned. "And why's that? You mean that a seven years old kid would be faster than me to learn to fly?"

"That's not what I meant!" Gohan said hurriedly. "Goten already knew the basis, that's why he learned this fast."

"I see… And how much time will it take me to learn, then?

Gohan seemed to think about it. "It's hard to tell… We'll see."

"Say, say, Videl, are you going to spend the night over this time too?" Goten asked excitedly.

"I can't, Goten. I have school tomorrow and plus my father's coming back from his business trip."

"Oh." The little boy said, disappointed.

Looking at his sad face, Videl couldn't help but want to cheer him up. So she said:

"But I can always spend the next week-end over at your house."

Goten's face lit up. "Really?? Cool!"

Gohan looked at Videl through his helmet, his eyebrows lifted. "You really want to spend another week-end over at our house?"

She shrugged. "Why not. I had fun this week-end."

He smiled. "Well, like my mother told you, you will always be welcomed at our home."

She smiled back at him. "Thanks."

"We're here!" Goten exclaimed, pointing the little house with his finger.

They landed in front of the house, and Gohan put Videl down on the grass. Goten rushed in the house, while his brother was returning to his everyday clothes.

"Mommy! Videl's here!" He exclaimed.

Chichi came out from the kitchen, as the two teens were entering the house as well. She smiled when she saw that indeed, Videl was really here.

"Well, hello, Videl. What a nice surprise to see you again." She said.

"Hello, Chichi." Videl said, bowing respectfully.

"And guess what, Mommy?" Goten asked, all excited. "Videl is going to spend the next week-end home! It's okay, right?"

"Of course." Chichi replied.

"Well, we have to go now." Gohan said. "I have to teach Videl how to fly."

"Can I come?" Goten asked, his eyes sparkling.

"I think it better to leave them, Goten." Chichi said. "Videl will need to concentrate and Gohan will be busy with her to watch you. But I am backing a chocolate cake now; you could lick the spoon." She added with a wink.

"Cool!"

"You are staying for dinner, Videl, aren't you?" Chichi then asked the girl.

"I would love to." She replied with a smile.

"Good. Then go, now."

They nodded, said goodbye and got out of the house.

"We're going to go a bit further." Gohan said. "Follow me."

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Gohan judged that they were far enough and told Videl to stop. They were in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by greenness.

"Well, let's start the lessons."

* * *

"No, Videl, you have to relax."

"How can I relax when this damned Ki doesn't want to come out?!"

"You won't be able to get it out if you're tense. Relax."

Videl let out an exasperated sigh, but did as she was told, and tried to relax. But it was no use; her Ki just didn't want to come out.

"It's too hard! I can't do it!" She said suddenly, standing up from her sitting position on the grass.

Gohan stood up as well, and held her by the shoulders, looking intensely in her eyes.

"Videl, you can do it." He affirmed.

"You saw well that I can't! It's been God knows how long that I try, and nothing!" She said, angry tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Videl," He said again. "I know you can do it. You're the strongest, the smartest, the most determined girl I know. If there's someone who can do it, it's you."

A few tears fell on her cheeks, and he brushed them off with his thumb, smiling tenderly at her.

"Gohan…"

She didn't know what has got to her at this moment, but she reduced the space between them and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes. Gohan wasn't expecting that at all, and had to take a few seconds before kissing her back. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against him, while Videl ran her fingers through his spiky hair, the kiss intensifying. And then suddenly, Videl broke the kiss, and took a few steps back, her head down.

"I… I'm sorry… I don't know what's got to me…" She said. "I… I think I better go now."

She got her capsule out and threw it after activating it, making her yellow Jet Copter appear. The sound of the apparition of the Jet seemed to wake Gohan, who was barely registering what had just happened.

"Wait!" He cried, as she was about to climb on her Jet Copter.

She stopped, but didn't turn around, her back to him. He took a few steps toward her.

"Videl, you… You can't leave like that… Not after… Not after kissing me…"

"It… It was a mistake. Forget what has just happened." She said, her back still to him.

"Fo-Forget? You really think that such a thing is possible?"

"I don't care. Just forget."

She was about to climb on her Jet Copter, but Gohan caught her wrist and pulled her to him. She stared at him, her blue eyes wide open in surprise, as he held her firmly against him.

"I can't forget, Videl." He murmured. "I don't _want_ to forget."

She looked away, her face burning. "Go-Gohan, look…"

He lifted her chin gently, interrupting her. She held her breath when she saw his face get closer and closer to her own, until their lips met in a sweet kiss. Videl could only kiss him back, not being able to resist, and wrapped her arms around his neck, as the kiss was becoming more passionate, more ardent. They continued to kiss for a long while, until they started to need air, and had to stop.

"Will you be able to forget this, Videl?" He asked her in a whisper.

She blushed, looking away. "I… I have to go."

"But you told my mother that you were staying for dinner." He reminded.

"You will tell her that I had to leave. Can you let go of me, now?"

Gohan then realized that he was still holding her against him, and freed her from his grasp reluctantly.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" He asked.

She seemed to hesitate.

"Goten will be sad if you leave now." He insisted.

She bit her lip, still hesitating. Finally, she sighed:

"Alright, I'm staying."

Gohan grinned. "Great. But we still have time till dinner; why don't you try and get your Ki out in the meantime?"

Videl crossed her arms. "What for? I can't do it."

"You can do it, Videl. I know you can."

She blushed at the intensity of his gaze, and looked away. "W-Well, okay, I will try."

She put her Jet Copter back in its capsules, and they sat down on the grass, one in front on the other. Videl started to concentrate, trying to get her Ki out of her hands. She tried to relax, like Gohan had advised her, trying to find her center, closing her eyes. Here, she could feel it. She almost got it…

"Gohan, Videl! It's time for dinner!!"

Videl jumped, brought out of her concentration by Goten's voice. She cursed inwardly. She almost did it!

"Well, I guess we'll continue tomorrow." Gohan said. "But keep on like this, Videl, you almost did it."

She smiled slightly. "I know."

They stood up, and with Goten, walked toward the house. Arrived to their destination, they entered the little house.

"Mommy! I brought Gohan and Videl back!" Goten shouted in the house.

Chichi came out from the kitchen and smiled to her youngest son. "It's very good, Goten." She then turned to Videl. "Did the flying lessons go well?"

Videl blushed, remembering what had happened during the flying lessons. "Err… Yes. You can say that."

"Why's your face all red, Videl?" Goten asked innocently.

"For nothing. Let's have dinner."

* * *

The two brothers leaned back on their chairs, rubbing their bellies in satisfaction, having just finished eating. Videl has got a bit used to the way they ate, although she still didn't understand how they could eat so much.

"It was delicious, Chichi." She complimented. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Why, it's a pleasure, Videl. For once, I have someone to talk to during dinner." Chichi said with a smile.

Videl smiled back at her. Then she stood up. "Well, I will be going now; it's starting to get late."

Gohan stood up as well. "I'll take you back."

They said goodbye to Goten and Chichi then got out of the house. Gohan made his Saiyaman outfit appear on him then carried Videl in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he took off toward Satan City. Tiredly, Videl snuggled against the Hero, closing her eyes.

Gohan glanced down at Videl, and saw that she was sleeping. She must be tired after having tried to get her Ki out. He smiled. She looked like an angel when she slept. Such a beautiful angel…

Turning his attention back in front of him, he continued to fly toward Satan City, increasing a bit his Ki to warm the girl in his arm up. He arrived to the city and could soon see the great Satan Manor in sight. But there was a problem: Videl was sleeping, and he had no idea where her room was. There was just one solution: wake her. Even though he really didn't want to.

"Videl, wake up." He said softly.

"Hmm…" Was his reply, as she snuggled even more against him, making him blush.

"Videl, you have to wake up. We're here." He tried again, but he got the same result.

He then started to shake her gently, and she finally woke up. She rubbed her eyes.

"I fell asleep?"

"That's normal. Trying to get your Ki out can be really tiring." Gohan said.

"So we're here?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm going to land in a deserted alley so we won't be seen." He said.

He searched for a deserted alley not far from the Satan Manor for a few moments, and, finding one, landed. He put Videl down on the ground.

"I'm walking you back?" He proposed.

"If you want."

He put his super hero's outfit back in his watch, and they walked the rest of the way, arriving pretty fast in front of the great Satan Manor.

"Thanks for taking me here." Videl said.

Gohan smiled. "It's natural."

And then suddenly, the front door opened abruptly, and appeared Mister Satan, not looking happy _at all_.

**To Be Continued…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 13**

Videl immediately tensed when she saw her father stomping toward them, looking furious.

_Damn, he came back early from his trip._

"Hi Dad." She said nervously.

"Don't "hi Dad" me!" Mister Satan shouted. "Where were you all day?! And who is this _boy_?! So now you're taking advantage that I'm away to hang out with _boys_?!"

Videl sighed. "Look, Dad, Gohan is just a boy from my class. He's giving me math lessons, as I was having difficulties these times. That's all."

Mister Satan narrowed his eyes, looking at the young man. _Gohan?_ He thought. _Where have I heard this name before?_ Looking at Gohan more carefully, he got the impression that he was familiar to him, but he didn't seem to be able to remember from where. Well, anyway, it didn't matter. What was bothering him was that this boy was spending time alone with his daughter, and God knows what could happen during those 'math lessons'.

"If you have difficulties with math, or with any other subject, I'll hire a tutor. But I don't like that you hang out with boys. You know what they all want."

"Gohan isn't this kind of boy at all!" Videl retorted. "He is very well-mannered and is very smart. And plus, he is a very good teacher; I don't need you to hire another one!"

Mister Satan then got an idea, and he smirked. "I accept to let him give you those math lessons, but in one condition. That he beats me in a fight. You know the rule, Videl."

"But that's not fair! The rule doesn't say that a boy has to beat you to give me lessons!! It's only for the boys who would want to go out with me! And it's not Gohan's case!" Videl protested.

_Well, I guess he wouldn't mind if I go out with him, considering that he loves me and all…_ She thought.

"Well the rules have changed." Mister Satan said, crossing his arms, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"But Dad…"

"I accept." Gohan said, speaking for the first time since Mister Satan's arrival.

The two Satans turned toward him, blinking.

"Excuse me?" The father said.

"If I have to beat you to be able to give lessons to Videl, then I will." Gohan said calmly.

Mister Satan then started to laugh loudly. "Hahahaha! That's too funny!! And you really think that you will be able to beat _me_? Did you forget who am I? I'm the World Champion! The one who defeated Cell!"

_He seems to believe his own lies. _Gohan thought._ How can this man be Videl's father?_

"I know very well who you are." He said. "And I still want to fight you."

"You're serious, kid? You really want to fight me?" Mister Satan asked incredulously.

"Yes." Gohan replied calmly.

_I think it's time I teach him a lesson._

"Gohan, are you sure?" Videl asked him uncertainly. "I know that you're strong, but my father is the World Champion…"

He turned his gaze toward her and smiled at her. "Don't worry about me. Don't forget who I am." He added with a wink.

"Well, since you don't seem to want to change your mind and at the same time save your butt, we're going to fight." Mister Satan said. "Follow me."

Videl looked at Gohan as he followed her father, before following them as well. Gohan seemed confident, would he really be able to beat her father? It was true that he was the Great Saiyaman, but her father defeated Cell. She hoped Gohan knew what he was doing.

They arrived at the training room, the same one where Gohan and Videl sparred not too long ago. Mister Satan got on the ring in the middle of the room, quickly followed by Gohan. The two men were facing each other, under Videl's worried gaze.

"It's your last chance to back away, kid. Don't blame me if you finish in the hospital, afterward." The Champ said arrogantly.

Gohan frowned. It's couldn't be possible that this man was Videl's father. She had to be adopted, he couldn't see any other explanation. He decided to ignore the fake hero and got in a fighting stance.

"Enough talking, I'm here to fight." He said.

"Pff, if you insist." Mister Satan said, getting in a fighting stance a well. "But you can't say that I didn't warn you."

_So, how do I proceed? _Gohan asked himself._ Do I beat him in one blow or do I prolong the fight? As much unbearable as he can be, he's still Videl's father (even if I have a hard time believing it), and I don't want to make him ridiculous in front of his daughter._

He glanced at Videl, who was looking at them with worry.

_I guess… that it's__ better that I prolong the fight…_ Gohan finally decided.

"So, do we begin?" He asked the World Champion.

"You seem confident for someone who's about to get the beating of his life." He boasted.

Gohan frowned. _No, in fact, I'm going to make him ridiculous._

"Well, since you seem to have a dead wish, let's begin." Mister Satan continued, always as arrogantly.

_Yep, definitely; I'm going to make him ridiculous. This liar deserves no less._

Mister Satan rushed toward Gohan, convinced of his superiority, and tried to punch him. But his opponent had suddenly disappeared.

"What the…?"

"Behind you."

The Champ turned around briskly, facing Gohan who had his arms crossed, smirking.

Videl looked at Gohan, and felt herself blush. _Is it me or… Gohan is incredibly sexy with that smirk?_ She blushed even more at her thoughts, then shook her head, focusing on the fight.

"Ho… How did you do that??" Mister Satan asked, starting to panic.

"What, that?"

Gohan disappeared once again, reappearing behind his opponent, who had jumped when he saw him disappear before his eyes.

"I'm only moving with great speed." He said, making once again jump the 'world savior', who turned around briskly.

"You… Those are tricks!!" He exclaimed, pointing at Gohan. "You're a cheater!"

The demi Saiya-jin frowned. "Only because you don't know something doesn't mean that it's a 'trick'."

"Bullshit! You're just a cheater! I refuse to fight with a cheater like you! And don't ever approach my daughter again, you hear me?!"

"No." Gohan replied.

"EXCUSE ME??" Mister Satan shouted, red from anger.

"I refuse. I'll see Videl if I want to." Gohan stated calmly. "You're just trying to find excuses because you understood that you can't beat me."

"Ha! Without all your little tricks, you would never stand a chance against me!" Mister Satan boasted.

"These aren't tricks. Videl, show him."

Videl nearly jumped, having not expected Gohan to speak to her.

"Show him… what?" She asked.

"That these aren't tricks; show him your Ki."

"But… I still can't get it out…"

"You almost did it. I know you can do it." Gohan said, smiling at her.

"Videl, what is he talking about?" Mister Satan asked, looking at his daughter with confusion.

"I… I will show you." She said.

She got on the ring and, Gohan's encouraging smile in her mind, cupped her hand in front of her, starting to concentrate. A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. Mister Satan was starting to lose patience.

"And? Just what is Videl supposed to show me?" He asked, annoyed.

"Quiet, she needs to concentrate." Gohan said firmly.

The man with the afro was ready to protest but a glare from Gohan silenced him. He had to admit that this boy could be very intimidating when he wanted to.

Videl kept on concentrating, her eyes riveted on her hands, the words that Gohan had said to her encouraging her.

_"I know you can do it."_

She persisted, not giving up, and finally, a blue light appeared between her hands. Her father was wide-eyed. It couldn't be possible!

The light between Videl's hands disappeared after a few moments. She felt spent, but also immensely proud.

"I did it…" She said softly, barely realizing. Elle looked at Gohan, who was grinning at her. "I did it!" She exclaimed, jumping suddenly in his arms.

Gohan blushed, but he ended up smiling, and hugged the girl back. Mister Satan was red from anger. He approached them and separated them brutally.

"Don't you dare touch my daughter!!" He roared, mad with rage.

"Dad, calm down!"

Mister Satan turned his eyes full of rage to his daughter. "Calm down?! You're throwing yourself in this good for nothing's arms and you want me to calm down??"

"Gohan isn't good for nothing! And firstly, he's stronger than you!"

This was the last straw for Mister Satan. He raised his hand, having the firm intention to slap his daughter for her insolence, but something prevented him from doing it. Or rather, someone. Gohan had caught his forearm. He couldn't believe that this creep was about to raise his hand on Videl – _his_ Videl – and an uncontrollable rage raised in him. He tightened his hold on the impostor's hand, causing him to fall on his knees, whimpering in pain.

Videl wasn't sure to understand what was going on. One moment she had thought that her father was going to slap her, and the moment after, he was on his knees, whimpering in pain as Gohan held his arm firmly. Another whimper, meaning that Gohan had put more pressure on her father's arm, seemed to wake her.

"Gohan, stop it!" She cried.

"He was going to hit you, Videl." Gohan said, his voice full of rage, while his eyes never leaved Mister Satan. "I can't let him get away with it."

"Gohan, please, stop it!!" Videl cried again.

He turned his gaze toward her. Her eyes were begging him. He sighed, and released the arm of the father of the girl he loved. Mister Satan held his aching arm, keeping on whimpering.

But Gohan wasn't finished with him yet, and took him by his collar, lifting him up, and looking at him straight in the eyes.

"But I warn you, Satan, if you ever raise your hand on Videl again, I will kill you. Did I make myself clear?"

While he was saying this, his eyes turned teal for a few seconds. Mister Satan widened his eyes, as he realized from where he knew this boy.

"Ve-Very clear." He stammered, trembling in fear.

Gohan let go of him, disgusted by this coward, being less and less able to believe that he was Videl's father. The girl in question was having a hard time to believe what had just happened. The kind, innocent, naïve Gohan had just threatened to kill her father, the great Mister Satan. Her father, who was trembling in fear before this young teenager. It's all seemed so unreal.

"I better go now." Gohan said, holding his anger back, his fists clenched. He was feeling that if he didn't leave now he could do something he would regret, especially in front of Videl. He didn't want her to see this side of him. But now, it was a bit late. What would she think of him now?

Videl looked at Gohan as he got off the ring, walking toward the training room's exit, then she looked at her father who had fallen back on his backside, still trembling in fear, his face as white as snow, clearly terrified. Her eyes then turned back to Gohan, who was about to exit the training room, and, quickly making her decision, ran after him.

"Gohan, wait!"

He stopped, right in front of the exit, but didn't turn around, as Videl came to his level.

"I'm sorry, Videl." He said, his back to her. "But I can't bear this kind of behavior. To dare to raise one's hand on one's child is intolerable."

"I know, but… You didn't have to threaten to kill him…"

"I won't hesitate to kill anyone who will dare to hurt you."

On those words, he exited the training room, Videl being too stunned by what she had just heard to think about following him.

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 14**

She was standing near the training room's exit for a while now, the words that Gohan had said to her were slowly registering in her mind.

_"I won't hesitate to kill anyone who will dare to hurt you."_

_I didn't thought… that he'd go that far for me… _She thought._ He is usually so kind… It's hard to believe that he terrorized Dad…_ She suddenly widened her eyes.

"Dad!"

She made a U-turn. Her father didn't move an inch: sitting on the ring, as white as snow, still trembling in fear. The girl approached him, worried.

"Dad?"

He didn't seem to hear her. She approached him more, kneeled down next to him, and started to shake him a bit. Finally, he seemed to wake from his torpor, and turned his head toward her, staring at her with his frightened eyes.

"Vi-Videl… Th-This b-boy… I-It's… It's him…" He stammered.

Videl frowned. "Him? What do you mean, him? Did you already meet Gohan, Dad?"

Mister Satan suddenly realized what he had said, and what he was about to say, and he pulled himself together. He stood up, becoming more confident.

"It's nothing, don't mind it." He said.

Videl looked at him suspiciously. What was her father hiding from her? And in what it was related to Gohan? She swore to herself that she will discover it.

She stood up as well, deciding against insisting, for now. "If you say so."

"Well, it's getting late." Mister Satan said. "Go to bed, now."

"Yes Dad."

She was about to get off the ring, but her father's voice stopped her.

"By the way, Videl," He started.

She turned to her father. "Yes?"

"Where did you learn to do this… thing?"

"Gohan taught me." She replied.

"So these… 'math lessons', it was just a cover?"

She lowered her head. "Yes…" She bit her lip. Well, better tell him everything… "Actually, Gohan's teaching me how to fly. And it's not a trick." She added.

"I see…" He said. "I always thought that these were tricks, but since you can do it as well, I guess it's not the case."

Videl smiled. "Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight…" He said. "Ah, Videl?"

Videl stopped once more as she was about to get off the ring. She turned to her father again.

"Yes, Dad?"

"I… I'm sorry for trying to slap you… I don't know what has gotten to me… It is fortunate that this boy was here to stop me." Mister Satan said, his head lowered shamefully.

Videl was surprised. Her father had never been the king of man to apologize; he was way too proud for that. Then her face softened. He must really blame himself.

She approached him and pecked him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Dad."

Mister Satan blinked, watching his daughter get off the ring, then walk toward the training room's exit. And then, slowly, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Goodnight, Sweet Pea."

* * *

Gohan was back at home. It was pretty late when he arrived, but surprisingly, his mother didn't question him about his lateness, and simply told him to go to bed.

Only, there was a problem: he couldn't sleep. He was worried. Worried about what Videl will think of him, now that she had seen this side of him which he would have preferred her to never see.

And then, he didn't know where he was, with this girl. She had kissed him during her flying lessons, then she had regretted, telling him to forget. And yet, she had responded to his kiss when he kissed her, afterward. He didn't know what to think anymore. He needed to know what she was feeling for him.

…If she was feeling anything at all.

* * *

Videl, too, was having difficulties to fall asleep. She was more and more questioning herself about her father. How the man who defeated Cell could tremble in fear in front of a teenager? Well, okay, this teenager happens to be the Great Saiyaman, the super hero who could carry buses without troubles, but her father was supposed to have beaten Cell! Cell, the monster who had reduced the Royal Army to dust without effort!

She had doubts. She doubted her father's word. She shouldn't be; he was her father, he would never lie to her, she had to trust him… But the more she thought about it, the more she doubted.

She needed to clear her mind about it. So, in the middle of the night, she decided to go watch the Cell Games' tape. Without noise, she exited her room, and walked in the dark corridors of the Satan Manor toward the video room. Arrived at her destination, she turned the light on, and the sudden light blinded her for a few moments. Then she got used to it, and didn't lose any time, searching the Cell Games' tape among all the tapes about old fights that her father possessed. She found it after a while, and immediately put it in the video-tape. She pressed the 'play' button.

She settled down on the couch facing the big screen to watch the video. She saw her father arrive, seeming confident, followed by a whole group of people coming from the sky. Among these people, there was a man with golden hair, and next to him, a little boy who had to be his son. She pressed the 'pause' button when the camera stopped on the boy. He must have been ten – the age she had at the time. He had golden hair and teal eyes. Just like…

_The Gold Fighter. _She realized._ He fits the description of the Gold Fighter perfectly. Even the age fits. It has to be him._

_But why did he appear in Satan City, after seven years? And why did he disappear suddenly, exactly when Saiyaman appeared? This is all very fishy…_

She pressed the 'play' button again, continuing to watch the video. She saw with stupefaction her father being thrown away from the ring like a mere fly after only a few seconds.

How could she forget that??

Her father had given as a pretext that he did a "wrong move", but she knew better. She may have believed it when she was ten, but today, as a martial artist, she couldn't believe it, even if she wished to with all her heart.

She wished with all her heart that her father hadn't lied, that he had really defeated Cell, but as she watched the tape, in which the fight between the monster and the unknown man with golden hair had begun, she doubted her father's word more and more.

The fight was really impressive – well, what the cameraman could film of the fight, anyway – and now that she knew Gohan, she knew that there weren't 'tricks', like her father had pretended. This was real, and she knew that her father was far from their level.

She continued to watch the fight. The man with golden hair had suddenly forfeited the fight. He admitted that Cell was the strongest, and that he had seen enough of his power. When Cell said that if there weren't anymore fighters, he would destroy Earth and its inhabitants, the unknown man said that it wasn't over, that there was still one fighter able to defeat him.

When Videl heard the name of the next fighter, her heart stopped.

"You're up next, Gohan!"

* * *

Gohan was walking in the corridors of Orange Star High School, a bit anxious to see Videl again after the events of the night before. He arrived at his locker, putting away the books he wouldn't need in it. When he closed his locker, he had a little start; Videl was next to him.

And she didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"You have nothing to tell me?" She asked.

He sighed. "It's about yesterday? Look, I'm sorry Videl, I guess I went a bit too far by threatening your fath-"

"I'm not talking about that!" She cut him.

Gohan blinked. He scratched his hair. "I don't understand…"

She clenched her fists. "You… You knew the truth… And you didn't tell me…"

"The truth? What are you talking about, Videl?" Gohan asked, more and more confused.

"About my father!"

"A-About your father?" Gohan stammered, afraid to understand.

She looked at him, her eyes full of anger, but also of hurt. "How could you hide something like that from me?"

He swallowed hard. "Did… did your father talk to you?"

"He didn't need to! I discovered everything by myself!"

The bell chose this moment to ring. Videl glared draggers at Gohan, then she turned on her heels, walking away from him and toward her classroom. The young man stayed without moving for a while, as the students were leaving the corridor, asking himself millions questions. But one in particular imposed itself in his mind.

_Did she discover the truth about the Cell Games?_

* * *

Gohan couldn't focus his mind on the lesson, questioning himself about what Videl had discovered.

_It's obvious! _He thought._ Something that concern me, and that concern her father as well; there aren't millions possibilities! I don't know how, but she discovered the truth about the Cell Games!_

He glanced to his right. The raven haired girl was taking notes, but he could see that she was still upset. He sighed, lowering his head.

_I should have told her… Now she's mad at me because I hided the truth from her… I hope it's not too late…_

* * *

The bell announcing the break rang. Gohan had looked forward to it, and at the same time, he dreaded it. Because the young Saiya-jin had decided to tell Videl everything about the Cell Games, hoping that she would forgive him for hiding it from her in being honest with her.

He waited in the corridor for her to come out of the classroom, like he would usually do when he wanted to talk to her. When she came out, he hesitated for a moment. Could he really tell her the truth?

He shook his head, getting rid of his doubts, and, with a new determination in his eyes, walked toward Videl, who had gone pretty far away while he was hesitating.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Videl, we need to talk."

The girl released her shoulder from his hold and turned around, ready to tell the young man to get lost, but when she saw how serious he looked, she changed her mind, and decided to listen to him.

"I'm listening." She said.

"Not here. Follow me."

She followed him without a word. Not surprisingly, he took her to the roof. After all, it was the most appropriate place to talk privately. They sat on the roof's ledge, staying silent for a while, until Gohan decided to speak.

"What did you discover, exactly?" He asked.

"I think you know what I discovered." She said, crossing her arms.

He sighed. "Yes, I think I know what you discovered." There was a brief moment of silence. "It's… about the Cell Games, isn't it?"

"So it really was you, the little boy from the group; I wasn't wrong." She said.

Gohan lowered his head. "No, you're not wrong."

"And you're also the Gold Fighter." She continued.

He simply nodded his head, keeping it down.

"How do you do to change your hair and eyes color?" She then asked.

Gohan tensed. He may be ready to tell her the truth about the Cell Games, but he sure wasn't to tell her that he was half alien yet. He thought about what he could respond, but found nothing. He sighed.

"It's… complicated. And I'm not ready to tell you, not yet." He lifted his head, looking at her in the eyes. "Please understand."

He expected her to protest, but she didn't. She nodded her head, showing him that she understood, which surprised him just as much as her.

He smiled. "Thank you."

"But you will explain to me, right?" She asked.

"Yes… But not now. I'm not ready for it yet." He said.

"Then I will wait." She said, smiling at him. Then her face became serious. "My father… My father didn't kill Cell, did he?"

"No, he didn't." He replied honestly.

She sighed. "I knew it… After all, how could he? He has been thrown away from the ring in not even three seconds. I wonder how I could believe it all these years…"

"Everybody believed it, you're not the only one. But you know, your father did us a big favor by taking the credit for killing Cell."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't want the fame and the glory. If I defeated Cell, it was to protect Earth and the ones I loved, not for becoming famous."

"I see…" Then Videl's eyes widened, as she realized what Gohan had just said. "YOU're the one who beat Cell??"

He rubbed his neck. "Well… yes."

"But you were just a kid!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"I believe you, Gohan, even if it's a bit difficult for me to. You were only ten… And you saved the World…"

He blushed slightly, looking down. "I only did what I thought was right."

She smiled. "Thank you for telling me the truth." She came closer to him and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush even more. She then stood up and walked toward the roof's door. She was going to open it but Gohan's voice stopped her.

"Videl?" He called.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Are we… Are we friends, now?"

She smiled. "Yes, Gohan. We're friends."

**To Be Continued…**


	15. Chapter 15

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 15**

It was lunch time. Gohan was walking towards the cafeteria with a big goofy grin on his face. _Finally_, he and Videl were friends. He couldn't be any happier. He entered the cafeteria, his goofy grin still glued on his face, and went to sit at his usual table where he had lunch everyday by himself. But one dark haired girl had other plans for him. The girl in question just entered the cafeteria, and quickly spotted him. She walked towards him, and reached him just as he was about to get his lunch out of its capsule.

"Can I join you?"

Gohan looked up at the girl, blinking. Then, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

"Gladly."

Videl smiled back, and sat down in front of the demi Saiya-jin. This certain Saiya-jin took out his huge lunch from its capsule, while Videl got her own out.

"You can help yourself, if you want. My mother always cooks me too much," Gohan proposed.

Videl's face lit up, and her smile widened. Gohan chuckled softly.

* * *

When they arrived in the cafeteria, Erasa and Sharpner were surprised to find their friend having lunch with Gohan. As the surprise faded, Erasa smirked, while Sharper felt indignant.

"What the hell is she doing with this guy?!" He cried.

Erasa's smirk widened, "I guess she likes him."

"Ha! As if _that_ could ever happen!" The blond boy said, crossing his arms.

"There is more of a chance for these two to get together than for you to go out with Videl." Erasa retorted.

"Pff!" He grunted. "In any case, there's no way I'm having lunch with this mountain boy. I'm going to my pals."

Erasa shrugged, then walked towards the table of the two brunettes, who, hopefully, will soon become a couple.

"Hiya love birds!"

At hearing that, Gohan chocked on his food and hit his chest several times to make it pass. His face was deep red.

"Erasa!! Stop joking like that!! It's _not_ funny!" He exclaimed.

"But I'm not joking," she affirmed, sitting down beside Videl, who was just as red as Gohan. "I really think that you two would make a cute couple."

"Stop that, will you?" Videl asked. "Do it at least for Gohan's sake; the poor guy nearly choked."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Erasa said giving in.

Gohan sighed in relief. Erasa's insinuations were really more than he could handle. He still didn't know where he was with Videl exactly, and the young blonde wasn't doing anything to make things easier.

"So, if you two aren't together, why are you having lunch together?" Erasa asked.

"What, two friends can't have lunch together without ulterior motives?" Videl replied.

"Oooh, so you guys are finally friends? But I thought that you refused to be friends with someone who keeps secrets from you?" she asked Videl. "Unless… You finally discovered them?"

"Gohan doesn't have secrets," Videl lied. "I was imagining things."

"You mean that you harassed the poor guy for nothing?"

"She didn't harass me, don't exaggerate," Gohan intervened.

"If you say so…" She said. "By the way, did your 'math lessons' go well?"

The two dark haired teens blushed instantaneously, thinking about what had happened during Videl's flying lessons. Erasa raised her brows, wondering what could make them blush like that. Then she smirked.

"Could it be that something happened between you guys?" She asked, full of insinuation.

Gohan didn't say anything, knowing that he couldn't lie, and so he let Videl reply, which didn't take her too long.

"What are you imagining, again Erasa? Absolutely nothing happened between Gohan and me!"

"Then why are you two blushing like that?"

Videl opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. She didn't know how to respond to that.

The blonde's smirk widened. "So, tell me, what happened between you two?"

They didn't respond. They kept their heads down with deep, red blushes streaking across their cheeks.

"I bet you kissed," Erasa guessed.

Gohan stared at her, wide-eyed. "How did you guess??"

Videl slapped her forehead. "You're really an idiot!! You just confirmed what she said!!"

"So I was right," Erasa said. "And after that, you dare try to tell me that there's nothing between you two?"

"But there really is nothing between us!" Videl protested. "We made a mistake, okay? And it will never happen again!"

_She's still thinking that it was a mistake… _Gohan thought, his head lowered._ I guess there will never be more than friendship between us… Well, I should be happy that she's finally considering me as her friend…_

"And by the way, I thought that you wanted to go out with Gohan?" Videl asked. "Why are you trying again to get us together? You're not interested in him anymore?"

"Well… yes…" Erasa admitted. "But he will be so much better off with you!"

Videl sighed, tired of having to repeat herself constantly. There was nothing between Gohan and her; was it so hard to believe? Well, okay, they did kiss several times, but that meant absolutely nothing!

…Right?

* * *

Class had just ended. The two dark haired teens were on the roof, ready to go to Gohan's for Videl's flying lessons. The young man made his Great Saiyaman outfit appear on him, then he approached Videl and carried her in his arms. Like every time that he held her this close to him, his heart beat accelerated, and a light shade of pink colored his cheeks. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck, and he took off to the sky, flying toward the mountains.

After a few minutes of flying in silence, Gohan decided to speak. A question was going through his mind since lunch, but he hadn't dared to ask it, dreading the answer, and not wanting to risk their very new friendship. But he had to know.

"Videl?"

The girl turned her gaze toward him, "Yes?"

"You… You really think that…" He paused, taking a deep breath, to give himself some courage, while she looked interrogatively at him. "You really think that kissing me was a mistake?"

She widened her eyes, having not expected this at all, while her cheeks flared up. Then, she looked away, her cheeks still bright red, and replied in a tiny voice:

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because… It's simpler for us to be just friends. Romantic relationships are way too complicated, and I don't have time for that."

"I see…" Videl could hear disappointment in his voice, and felt her heart clench.

He wanted to be with her.

* * *

"A party? What a great idea!" Chichi exclaimed over the phone. "It has been so long since we all got together!"

_"It's precisely for that reason that I decided to throw this party." _Bulma said, on the other side of the line. _"It will last all week-end. Will you be able to come?"_

"Of course! Oh, but Videl is supposed to spend the night here this week-end…" The raven haired woman remembered.

_"Videl? Who is Videl?"_

"Oh, I didn't talk to you about her? She's the future mother of my future grandchildren," she replied happily.

Bulma raised a brow, _"Gohan has a girlfriend?"_

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be long before he does. It's so obvious that they love each other! They even nearly kissed, for that matter."

_"Really? And how is this girl?"_ Bulma asked.

"Oh, she is absolutely perfect!" Chichi said, her eyes sparkling. "She's beautiful, smart, polite… and she has a temper, which is important when you are a Saiya-jin's wife."

_"Why don't you bring her to the party?" _The scientist proposed._ "I'm dying to meet her."_

"Oh, what a great idea!"

Chichi then heard the front door close, followed by Gohan's voice shouting, "Mom, we're here!"

"Ah, here's Gohan who arrived with Videl," she said. "I have to go. See you this week-end."

_"Okay. See you this week-end, then,"_ her friend replied.

"Bye."

Chichi hung up the phone, then exited the kitchen. She entered the living room, where her eldest son was, with, she hoped, her future daughter-in-law. She welcomed them with a warm smile.

"Hello you two," she greeted. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"It was alright," Gohan replied.

"Before you go for your flying lessons, I have something to tell you," Chichi said.

"We're listening, Mom," her son said. Videl nodded.

"Bulma invited us to a party that will last the whole week-end, and of course, you are welcome to join us, Videl."

"I'm also invited?" asked Videl, surprised.

"Um, Mom, can I talk to you for a moment?" Gohan then addressed Videl. "We'll be right back." He took his mother to the kitchen and asked her: "Are you sure it's a good idea to invite Videl as well? I mean, did you think of Piccolo, or even, Vegeta? How do I explain to her that I know a big green man and another man who can't stop claiming that he's a Prince of an alien race everywhere he goes?"

"Well, you tell her the truth," Chichi said simply.

"I… I'm not ready to tell her that yet."

"You will have to tell her some day, you know."

"I know, and I will tell her. Just… Not now."

His mother sighed. "As you wish."

"So, what do we do about the party?" He then asked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will go fine. For all we know, Piccolo won't even come – he almost never comes, after all – and Vegeta will stay in his Gravity Room. Really, there is nothing to worry about."

All of sudden, they heard a shriek coming from the living room, and it was definitely Videl's voice. Worried, panicked even, Gohan hurriedly exited the kitchen and entered the living room, Chichi on his heels. He found Videl, standing on the small table, while Goten was on all fours on the floor, looking for something.

"Mrs. Spider, where are you?" The little boy was calling.

"Goten! Don't tell me you brought a spider in the house!" Chichi scolded.

"But she was so cute!" Goten complained.

"Cute?" Videl repeated, still standing on the table. "It's the ugliest and most disgusting thing I've ever seen!"

Gohan blinked, and then he chuckled. Videl abruptly turned her head toward him, her eyes narrowed.

"May I know why you're laughing?"

He kept on chuckling. "Videl, you wouldn't happen to be… afraid of spiders, by any chance?"

Videl blushed deep red. "Not at all! I think they're really ugly, that's all!"

"Mrs. Spider isn't ugly!" Goten defended.

"I don't care! Hurry up, find it, and throw it out!" Videl ordered. She heard Gohan chuckle once more, making her blush again. "I'm NOT afraid of spiders!!"

**To Be Continued…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 16**

The effort she was using was making each and every muscle she had in herself shake. It was becoming painful. Too painful. She was about to give up, resigning herself to stay glued on the ground, when Gohan's voice could be heard, from below.

"Videl… You're flying!"

It took her a while to realize it. She slowly opened her eyes, uncertain, and looked down.

"AAAAHH!! I'm flying!!"

In surprise, she let go of her hold on her Ki, and immediately felt herself falling. Her fall lasted only a second, but at least, during that second, she prided herself on knowing that she flew once in her life. However, the awaited impact didn't come. She opened her eyes, realizing that Gohan caught her and that she was currently gripping onto him tightly, almost strangling him. Red from embarrassment, she tried to move away but he held her back.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh…" Why wasn't he letting go of her? Did she want him to?

Although showing nothing of it, Gohan wasn't that confident anymore. He had held Videl back instinctively, not having the heart to watch her leave so quickly. But now, how does he extricate himself from this situation?

"You've made a lot of progress. You must be tired."

"Tired? Uh… yeah. Yes." Videl replied a little distractedly.

"We'll go back, then." _Gohan, let go of her, _the young man was mentally ordering himself. _Let go of her right now._

He offered her his support to go back to the Son residence, a support that Videl, no matter how proud, didn't refuse.

* * *

During dinner, in which, of course, Videl had been invited, the conversation drifted to the party that would soon occur.

"And where will it take place?" The girl asked, curious to know.

"At Capsule Corp," Chichi replied simply.

Videl raised her brows, surprised, "Capsule Corp? You mean you rented _Capsule Corp_ for your party?"

Chichi gave a little laugh, "We didn't need to rent the place, since it's the owner who's throwing the party."

"W… Wait a minute…" Videl said, slowly registering the information. "The person who is throwing this party… is _Bulma Briefs_??"

"Yes, why?"

"You know THE Bulma Briefs?? The most intelligent and richest woman in the world?? The President of the Capsule Corporation??"

"At seeing your surprise, I'm guessing that Gohan didn't tell you," the mother of two stated, "Well, I guess he thought it wasn't very important."

Videl couldn't believe her ears! "Not very important? But… It's Bulma Briefs!" And then she realized: "I'm going to meet Bulma Briefs!!" She looked down at herself and frowned, "I can't meet her dressed like this… and I have nothing that would suit meeting someone like her…" She said to herself out loud.

"I can take you shopping to find something to wear, if you want," Chichi suggested.

Videl grimaced slightly. "Um… Shopping? To be honest, it's not really my thing…"

"But you said yourself that you had nothing to wear for the party; then the solution would be to buy you new clothes." Chichi reasoned. "So, what do you think?"

Videl sighed, knowing that her friend's mother was right, and resigned herself to accept.

"Alright…" she said.

"Perfect! We'll go tomorrow after your classes. It doesn't bother you to cancel tomorrow's flying lessons, does it Gohan?" But her son wasn't listening to her, too busy pigging out like there was no tomorrow. A vein was made visible on Chichi's forehead and started to beat furiously at her temple. "Gohan!!"

The young man jumped at hearing his mother call him, not missing the anger in her voice. He gulped and, slowly, looked up at her.

"Yes Mom?" He asked nervously.

Chichi smiled, but he could still see the vein beating at her temple. "Videl and I are going to go shopping tomorrow. It doesn't bother you to cancel the flying lessons, right?"

"Err… No, no, of course not," he replied hastily, not wanting to know what his mother would have in store for him if he refused. Then he blinked, finally registering what his mother had said earlier.

"Shopping? With Videl?" He remembered all the times Erasa complained because Videl always refused to go shopping with her. How did his mother succeed in convincing the tomboy, the ever so determined tomboy, to go with her?

"Yes, and besides, you'll come with us," Chichi decided.

"What? But…"

"But what?" She asked, sending him a glare, almost daring him to disobey.

Gohan gulped again, "N-Nothing. I… I'll go with you."

Chichi smiled, "Good." Then she turned to her youngest son, "Goten dear?" She called sweetly.

"Yes Mommy?" The little boy said, looking up from his meal.

"You'll come with us to go shopping, okay?"

"Aw… Do I have to?" However, before the hard look his mother was giving him, he learned quickly that it was useless trying to escape. "Okay…"

Videl watched the exchange between mother and sons. Chichi definitely knew how to be obeyed.

* * *

Chichi got off the magic cloud, as Goten was landing next to her. Her youngest son had preferred to fly by himself to Satan City, and she couldn't blame him for it. She could imagine that flying must give you a feeling of freedom that you couldn't find anywhere else. She had to admit, she would have liked to learn to fly, but she didn't really have the time for it, with all the things she had to do in the house. Well, it wasn't so bad, as long as she could climb on Kinto, her devoted golden cloud.

After biding her goodbyes to this certain cloud, she got out a capsule from her purse and threw it, activating it. An Air Car appeared, and she got in the driver's seat, telling Goten to sit in the back and to buckle his seatbelt.

They had landed at the city's entrance, so they wouldn't be noticed, and had a short distance ahead of them before arriving at Orange Star High School, hence the need of the Air Car.

Goten got in the Air Car with reluctance. The memories he had of his mother behind the wheel really didn't make him want to get in, but he had no choice. So, he buckled his seatbelt, and then, taking a deep breath, said:

"I'm ready."

"Then we're off."

The Air Car took off with a jerk, as Goten tensed in his seat. Chichi stepped on the accelerator, not even bothering to look at her rear-view mirrors to see if there were other conductors on the road or not. Her Air Car was fleeing at top speed, barely avoiding the vehicles in its way.

Goten released his breath when his mother parked the Air Car in front of his brother's school. He was especially relieved that his "ride" in the car was finally over. He couldn't count all the vehicles, the pedestrians, the streetlights, or any other things that his mother had managed to avoid just in time during the entire trip.

He hoped he would never have to relive that again.

* * *

Unlike usual, Videl and Gohan didn't go to the roof after class, but instead, they exited the establishment like everyone else, through the main door. Erasa watched them walk away together, suspicious. They were pretending that Gohan was simply giving Videl math lessons, but Erasa didn't believe any of it. So the question was: what were they doing everyday after class?

She noticed that they had joined a raven haired woman in her mid-thirties, and a little boy abnormally pale. She noted the resemblance they had with Gohan, and supposed that they were his mother and his little brother. Curious to know why the family of the young man was here, she walked discreetly towards them.

"Goten, why are you so pale?" Videl asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," the little boy replied.

As for Gohan, he already had an idea why his brother had turned this unusual shade and he couldn't help but feel sorry for his little brother. Being in a car with their mother behind the wheel wasn't exactly the best experience; he knew that all too well.

"Can we take your Jet Copter to go to the mall, Videl?" The eldest Son asked his friend.

Erasa wasn't sure she had heard right. They were going to the mall? With _Videl_??

"Yeah, let's take your Jet, Videl! Please!" Goten exclaimed hastily, his color returning a bit.

Videl blinked at the child's begging eyes. Why did he want to take her Jet Copter so badly? He seemed almost… desperate.

"Uh, sure. Okay."

"YEAH!!" Goten cried out jumping in joy, relieved to have escaped his mother's driving. This certain mother wondered why he was so happy to go to the mall in the Jet Copter of her future daughter-in-law. Bah, it must be because it wasn't an everyday thing, to fly in a Jet.

Erasa watched them leave in Videl's Jet Copter, furious that the girl who was supposed to be her best friend accepted to go to the mall with Gohan's family – certainly to do shopping – but would always refuse to go there with her. However, she was curious to see Videl do shopping.

And so, she decided to follow them.

* * *

Gohan frowned. When he sensed his blonde friend's Ki going toward the mall as his family, Videl and himself were flying in the Jet Copter toward the exact same destination, he first thought that Erasa was planning on doing some shopping of her own; after all, it was a well known fact that Erasa loved shopping.

Maybe it was a coincidence that she had entered the same shop as them, but in that case, why was she hiding? No, it wasn't a coincidence, and there was only one explanation for her strange behavior: Erasa was following them.

He supposed that she must have seen them leave, and had decided to follow them out of curiosity.

The young man was brought out of his thought when Videl came out of the dressing room, wearing navy blue pants and a white blouse. She even let her hair down, so her pigtails wouldn't blot with the outfit she was wearing.

It may be a bit too classy for a party among friends, but Gohan thought she looked very nice with this outfit.

"Hmm…" Chichi pondered, holding her chin, looking at the girl downwards, "I think you would look better in a dress."

"Um, no thank you, Chichi. I don't wear dresses," Videl said.

"You don't? Why? I'm sure you'll be very pretty with a dress. What do you think, Gohan?"

The demi Saiya-jin, who hadn't taken his eyes off of his friend, replied without thinking.

"Videl's always pretty."

The young girl blushed at hearing that, and after a few moments, Gohan did too, realizing what he had just said.

"I think that a dress would really suit you, Videl!" Goten exclaimed. "But Gohan's right; you're always pretty!"

The two teens blushed even more, as the little boy reminded them of what Gohan had said. The latter cursed himself mentally for not thinking before speaking.

Videl recovered, "That's nice, Goten, but I still refuse to wear a dress. It's just not my thing."

"Try one on, at least," Chichi insisted. "You won't have to take it, but you could at least try it on."

The girl sighed, telling herself that she won't die if she just tried a dress on.

* * *

"Come on, Videl, come out of there. I'm sure you look very nice," Chichi said, letting out a sigh. She wanted to see what her future daughter-in-law looked like in a dress! Was that so much to ask?!

"No way!" Came Videl's voice from the dress room. "I look… ridiculous!"

"I'm sure you're don't."

"I'm telling you, I look ridiculous! I refuse to come out dressed like this!"

Another sigh escaped Chichi's lips. Then she looked at her boys, silently asking for their help to convince Videl to come out of her dressing room. Goten was the first to react.

"Come on, Videl, I'm sure you're really cute!"

"No!"

The youngest Son looked at his mother, as if to say, "I tried."

Chichi then looked at her eldest. If there was someone who could convince Videl, she was certain it would be him.

Gohan sighed, "Videl…"

"No! I won't come out! So don't sweat on it, Gohan!"

The young man blushed at what he was about to say.

"I… I'm sure you're very pretty in the dress, Videl. Please, come out of the dressing room. Everyone wants to see you."

"But… I look ridiculous…" Videl insisted, feeling her resolves weaken substantially.

Gohan smiled, "You wouldn't be able to look ridiculous even if you wanted to, Videl."

There was a silence for a little while, and then, finally, the dressing room door opened, revealing Videl. She was wearing a light blue shoulder strapped dress, falling just above her knees. The girl kept her eyes down, blushing, not daring to see the reaction of the Son family – especially of the eldest son.

This certain one was winded. How did the thought of her looking ridiculous even cross her mind? She was sublime!

"You're perfect, Videl!" Chichi exclaimed, clapping her hands. "You absolutely have to take this dress!"

At hearing that, Videl raised her head, looked at her friend's mother, frowned, and placed her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute! You said that I was only going to try on that dress, not that I had to take it!"

"But it's perfect for the party!" Chichi complained. "Help me, boys!"

"Why don't you want to take it? It really suits you!" Goten said, being, once again, the first to react.

"There is no way I'm going out in public wearing this dress!" Videl retorted.

"I think you're gorgeous."

She instantaneously blushed at hearing Gohan say this.

_It's in the bag!_ Chichi thought, triumphant.

Videl turned away, her cheeks burning. "Stop talking nonsense."

He approached her then lifted her chin, making her look at him, and smiled at her.

"You're gorgeous, Videl," He said simply.

She looked away again, and moved away from him, gaining the upper hand over her sudden urge to kiss him.

"W-Well, okay. I'll take it."

* * *

Erasa, who had witnessed the entire scene, hiding behind a stack of clothes, smirked. If she had a doubt before, she didn't have any now.

Videl was completely crushing on Gohan.

**To Be Continued…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 17**

The following morning, at school, Videl was still thinking about what had happened at the mall. She, Satan Videl, the biggest tomboy in the world, had bought a dress. And why is that? Because Gohan had told her she was gorgeous. That was all it took to convince her.

Placing her forehead against her locker door, closing her eyes, the girl groaned. Now, she will have to go out in public wearing a dress. A dress! It was all Gohan's fault, and of those stupid feelings she had for him!

"We need to talk, Videl."

Hearing the voice of her blonde friend, the brunette straightened up and turned toward her. Erasa didn't look happy, which was rather unusual with her, who was always in good mood. Videl frowned.

"Something's wrong, Erasa?"

"There's something I'd like to know," Her friend began, ignoring her question. "Why do you always refuse to go shopping with me?"

Videl tensed. Could it be a coincidence that Erasa was asking her this question only a day after she had gone shopping with Gohan and his family? Little chance.

She sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have gone to the mall yesterday, by any chance?"

Erasa preferred to not tell her that she had been following them. "Yes, and I saw you with Gohan and his family, and you were _shopping_!"

"Look, Erasa…"

"You owe me a shopping outing!" The blonde suddenly declared, interrupting her.

"Huh?"

"You owe me a shopping outing!" She repeated. "You went with Gohan, I don't see why you wouldn't go with me!"

"But I hate shopping! And you know that!" Videl protested.

"Well you did go shopping, yesterday!" Erasa retorted.

"But that's because I needed a new outfit for a special event! It's not the case now, so I don't see why I would go shopping again!"

Erasa looked at her friend, her eyes narrowed. And then she smirked.

"Fine, if you don't want to, we won't go shopping." She said, her smirk still present.

"Good!"

Erasa's smirk widened. "But I will tell Gohan that you're in love with him."

Videl widened her eyes, blushing intensely. _Ho… How does she know?_

But then she recovered, and opened her mouth to protest, only to have Erasa beat her to it:

"Don't even try to deny it; I know you're in love with him." She asserted.

"And how could you know?" Videl questioned, crossing her arms.

"Well, first, he kissed you several times, and he's still alive. If an other guy would have only tried anything of that sort with you, he would already be dead and buried."

Videl blushed, looking away. "It doesn't mean anything."

"True, it doesn't necessary mean that you love him; just that you love his kisses."

She blushed even more. "You're really talking… nonsense…"

"How about we ask the opinion of the person concerned?" Erasa suggested, still smirking.

"You… You wouldn't…" Videl said, a look of horror on her face.

"You think so?"

"I'm warning you, Erasa, if you tell him I'll-"

She was cut off by her friend, who was looking behind her: "Oh, hey Gohan! We were just talking about you!"

"You were?" The young man asked, approaching, while Videl froze on the spot.

"I'd like to have your opinion about something. Do you think Videl is in l-"

"NO!!" The young black haired girl exclaimed suddenly, covering Erasa's mouth with her hand, stopping her from keeping on.

Gohan blinked. What was going on?

Videl laughed nervously, her hand still over Erasa's mouth. "Err, forget it, it's not important."

He blinked again. "Uh… Okay?"

The bell announcing the beginning of class chose this time to ring.

"We'll join you at once, Gohan." Videl said, still not moving her hand. "Go ahead."

"Uh… Yes, okay." He said, a bit uncertain. "See you in class, then."

Videl made sure that Gohan was far enough to finally remove her hand from her friend's mouth.

She sighed. "You won… I'll go shopping with you…"

Erasa grinned. "Awesome! We could go to the mall after class, what do you think?"

"I would rather go next week." Videl said. "But you must not say anything to Gohan!"

"So you finally admit that you're in love with him?"

"I'm not admitting anything! I just don't want Gohan to imagine things! That's all!" She defended. "Well, let's get in class now."

As the two friends were walking toward their class, Erasa already imagined herself at the mall with Videl, trying on all kind of clothes, shoes, accessories… while Videl was thinking of a way out of this shopping outing.

But there was nothing she could do.

* * *

Gohan looked down at the girl in his arms, as he flew toward his house. Videl seemed upset for quite some time now. Even during the flying lesson of yesterday, she hadn't been very concentrated. Was it because of the dress she would have to wear tomorrow, during the party? It really suited her, though.

But Gohan was far out. If wearing a dress bothered Videl, it was nothing compared to having to go shopping with Erasa. _That_ was Hell. She didn't have a choice though. She didn't want Gohan to know that she had feelings for him.

_You really are an idiot. _A voice in her mind said. _You love him,_ _and you know that he loves you too; what are you waiting to be with him?_

She didn't know what to answer. And it angered her. All this was seriously starting to anger her, in fact. She looked up at Gohan, under his Saiyaman's helmet, and frowned. _It's your fault._ She accused silently. _If you hadn't come to high school, if I hadn't met you, if you weren't so kind, so handsome, and so irresistible, I wouldn't have to struggle against all these feeling I have for you._

Feeling the girl stare at him, Gohan looked down at her again. He then noticed that she was glaring draggers at him.

"Everything's alright, Videl?" He asked, somewhat nervous under her glare.

"No, nothing's alright!" She exclaimed suddenly. "And it's all your fault!"

Gohan blinked, although she couldn't see it because of his helmet.

"My fault? What did I do?" He asked, confused.

"You…!" She stopped; she certainly couldn't tell him the reason! That because of his natural charm, she had fallen head over heels in love with him! Why on earth did she have to open her mouth? What was she going to answer, now?

"You made me buy a dress!" She finally said. "And I hate dresses!"

_So it's really because of the dress._ Gohan thought.

"But it suits you so well." He said. "And anyway, I never made you take that dress, all I did is say that you were…" He stopped, blushing. He still couldn't believe that he had told her so easily that she was gorgeous. But seeing her in that so pretty dress, he had been unable to think correctly.

Videl blushed as well, lowering her head, thinking about what he had told her that day, the way he had looked at her, the way he had smiled at her. She sighed, and laid her head on the young man's shoulder, surprising him, and making him blush a bit more.

"It's okay." She said softly. "It's not every day that you meet Bulma Briefs, after all. I can do an exception, just this once."

Gohan smiled, looking at her with tenderness. _I love you._

* * *

Since Bulma's party took place the following day, and to not waste any time, Videl was spending the night at the Son's, so they could go to Capsule Corp together. Only, Videl wasn't very reassured; last time she slept in that room, she'd had a very embarrassing dream, which was still making her blush when she thought about it. She didn't know if it was the room the cause of that dream or if it was because she had seen Gohan shirtless that day, but Videl wasn't reassured.

So here she was, in front of the door of the guest room, not managing to decide herself to enter.

_This is stupid. _She thought. _It's not a room that going to influence what I'm going to dream. And I don't have any other place to sleep, anyway._

_You can always sleep in Gohan's bed…_ murmured this annoying voice that didn't seem to want to get out of her mind. _The dream you had the other night could come true, besides…_

The young girl's face took fire. She shook her head frenetically, her eyes shut tightly, wanting to get rid of this more than disturbing voice from her mind.

"Videl?"

She opened her eyes abruptly, almost jumping. She turned her head sharply toward the young man who just spoke to her, her eyebrows raised in surprise. She thought he was sleeping by now.

"You're not sleeping?" She asked.

He raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I could tell you the same thing. It's been some time that I'm sensing you in front of this door; why you're not entering?"

"Uh…" What could she answer? In the end, she decided that her best solution was to escape.

"For nothing, goodnight!" She said, before entering the room hurriedly, closing the door behind her.

Gohan blinked, staring at the place where Videl had been standing a few seconds earlier.

"O…kay…"

* * *

It was finally the day of the party. Videl couldn't wait to be there. She was going to meet Bulma Briefs, the most intelligent woman in the world. She even bought a dress for this occasion, which, knowing her, was a real miracle.

_I wonder how she is?_ Videl thought, brushing her long hair, getting ready for the party._ And I wonder if I'm going to meet her mysterious husband? Nobody knows who he is, or what he looks like, and it's wasn't from lack of trying. There will also be all of Gohan's friends; I wonder who else I'll meet?_

She placed the brush on the dressing-table in front of her, and looked at herself in the mirror. Videl had to admit that the dress suited her, even though she would never, ever, say it out loud.

"You're ready, Videl?" Chichi asked from behind the door of the guest room.

"Yes, I'm coming!" The young girl replied.

One last glance at the mirror and she exited the room. Chichi smiled at seeing her.

"You're very pretty, Videl." She complimented. "Our friends will love you."

Videl smiled back at the woman. "Thank you, Chichi."

"Well, let's go now. The boys are already outside, waiting for us ."

Videl nodded, and they walked toward the front door, then they went out, attracting the attention of the two brothers who were waiting for them outside.

"Woah! You're super pretty, Videl!" Goten exclaimed.

"Thanks Goten." She replied smiling.

As for Gohan, he was speechless. Sure, he had already seen Videl in that dress, but seeing her like this, the sun being reflected on her hair, the light breeze making it dance, and this beautiful dress that suited her so wonderfully… She was… simply…

"Gorgeous." He breathed.

At hearing that, Videl blushed, while Chichi gave a satisfied smirk. She knew that convincing Videl to wear a dress would be a good idea.

"So, um…" The daughter of Mister Satan began, to change the subject. "How are we going there, by the way?"

"Bulma lent us her faster Jet for this occasion. It should take us about an hour to arrive there."

Chichi got a capsule out of her purse then threw it, creating a cloud of smoke. The noise seemed to wake Gohan, who had been staring at Videl dreamily, in a 'trance' like state. He saw the Jet appear and, coming to his senses, said:

"I'll pilot."

Goten's face reflected his relief. His mother piloted just like she drove, and even though they would certainly have arrived to Capsule Corp a lot faster had she been the pilot, Goten would rather not risk his life pointlessly.

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Chapter 18

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 18**

Leaning against the trunk of a tree, arms crossed against his chest, Vegeta wore his usual scowl while his dark eyes were staring at his mate who was discussing with her human friends. Those pitifully weak humans that Bulma had dared invite in _his_ home; and as if it wasn't enough to have all these pests in his house, she forced him – he, the Prince of all Saiya-jins – to attend her stupid party.

Vegeta scowled even more, cursing this woman that now knew him all too well; she knew exactly what she had to say and do to get what she wanted from him, and he hated it. He wondered if the Gravity Room, the food and sex were really worth it that he had to put up with the stupidity of those humans, really, the Prince had the confirmation that they were dull and pointless at each stupid remark these morons were going on about.

"I wonder what she looks like."

Vegeta's eye twitched when he heard the scar-faced idiot. There were times where he would've rather been deaf than hear the more than annoying voice of this fool; having such good hearing also had its disadvantage, he told himself.

"I'm just as curious as you, Yamcha," Bulma said. "From what Chichi told me, she's very pretty."

"I still have a hard time believing that Gohan found himself a girlfriend."

"They're just friends, Krillin," the blue-haired scientist reminded. "But it's true that, according to Chichi, it won't be long before they get together," she added.

Was it really all what they could talk about? The un-interesting love-life of Kakarot's offspring? So pathetic. Vegeta was seriously beginning to wonder what the hell he was doing here; it definitely wasn't worth it.

It was then that he sensed the Ki of said offspring approach, as well as those of his annoying younger brother, his harpy of a mother and another that was unknown to him – probably this girl those humans were talking about. He was somewhat surprised by the power of the last Ki; although insignificant when compared to his, it was however much higher than the average earthling.

Interesting, maybe he would stay, in the end.

* * *

It was incomprehensible. She who had been so excited at the idea of coming, who had prepared so much for this party, even buying a dress for the occasion. She who never cared about what others thought of her, who was always so confident, who was never afraid of anything. She, Satan Videl, was doing us a fit of shyness.

Incomprehensible.

"Videl?"

The young girl didn't move from her seat, keeping her head lowered, her eyes staring at her clenched fists, those placed on her knees. She knew it was ridiculous, that she had nothing to fear, but she really couldn't help it; she was like frozen by this shyness that, until now, had been unknown to her. She heard Gohan call her again, and she bit down on her lip.

The demi-Saiya-jin blushed slightly, scratching his cheek while looking down. He had never seen Videl like this, so shy, but he couldn't help finding it… cute. He blushed even more at what he had just thought then shook his head – this was not the time to think she was cute – even if it was true; his friend obviously had a problem, he had to support her and help her. (Parenthesis are usually used for other things, such as my note here, use a hyphen instead.)

He and Videl were still in the Jet that had led them to Capsule Corp. Soon they landed in the garden where the party took place; his mother and brother had climbed down and he had been about to do the same when he noticed that Videl wasn't following them; turning toward her, he was surprised to note his friend's obvious shyness.

Gohan approached the girl who still hadn't moved. He crouched down at her level; he put a knee down and, hesitating a little, placed his hand on one of Videl's clenched fist. The reaction of this simple touch was immediate, although it was not what Gohan had expected - she flushed intensely, then she turned her blue eyes to the young man's onyx ones. Gohan smiled at her, and she blushed all the more, this time averting her gaze and quickly moving her hand away.

Gohan raised his brows, wondering why his friend was reacting this way when all he did was touch her hand and smile at her.

_It doesn't matter,_ he ended up thinking. _I have to help her overcome her shyness so we can get off the Jet and join the others; they must be loosing patience by now. _

As if to confirm what he had just thought, his mother's voice was then heard, asking them what was taking them so long to get down.

"Just a minute!" He shouted over his shoulder, before turning all his attention back to the young girl, "Videl," he began softly. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Said young woman stayed silent, avoiding his gaze.

"Videl?" He repeated.

Videl bit down on her lip again and Gohan couldn't help but find her more and more cute; however, he didn't let those thoughts distract him and continued.

"Videl, talk to me."

Still avoiding his gaze, Videl placed a lock of hair behind her ear, "Gohan I… I don't understand. I'm not like this usually, I… I don't understand."

Gohan placed his hand on one of hers again, seeing the girl's cheeks flush once again. Videl didn't move her hand away this time however and Gohan smiled.

"It's normal to be a bit shy in this situation; after all, you don't know anyone here, except from my family and me," the young man reasoned. "I would've been shy too if I had been in your place."

"But you, you're shy all the time."

Gohan laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "Yes, it's true," he said mirthfully as he continued to laugh.

Videl looked up at him, and couldn't help smiling when she saw him laughing and scratching the back of his head like he always did in this type of situation. It was impossible not to smile while seeing him like this, he was so adorable.

Seeing that she was smiling at him, Gohan stopped laughing to grin. Gohan then stood up and – his hand still holding the young crime fighter's hand – pulled her up to drag her with him.

Was it him that pulled too strong, or was it her that lost her balance? None of them knew how, but Videl landed straight into Gohan's arms which, instinctively, tightened around the teenage girl.

It was strange. Here she was, in Gohan's arms, listening to the increasingly speeding up beating of his heart while feeling her own heart racing at this accidental hug, and she did nothing to move away… neither did he, for that matter. It was what they were supposed to do, though. But why after all? They were friends, weren't they? And friends had the right to hug.

But was it really a simple hug they felt?

No, definitively not.

In that case, why weren't either of them moving to break the embrace? In the contrary; although he knew he shouldn't but couldn't help it, Gohan ran his fingers through Videl's long raven hair, burying his face in it to breathe its scent. Videl closed her eyes, relishing this feeling, the feeling of being loved.

They felt so good, here, in each other's arms. Why should they deprive themselves of this bliss?

Well, had they known what was about to follow, they might have moved away from each other sooner… because Krillin had just climbed on the Jet, quickly followed by Yamcha, both tired of waiting for the teenagers to finally decide to climb down; Gohan and Videl didn't even notice the presence of the new-comers, which was rather surprising considering the demi-Saiya-jin's special abilities; however, they were in their own little world now, completely deaf to everything else that surrounded them.

Big mistake…

The two long-time friends looked at each other, the same mischievous smirk appearing on their faces while the very same thought went through their heads.

Yes, they were going to have fun at this party. Oh yes.

* * *

"It's not what you think at all!!"

Still leaning against his tree, Vegeta raised an eyebrow upon seeing Kakarot's first brat getting out of the jet hurriedly, following the midget and the scar-faced idiot, his face so red that it couldn't have been natural. The two earthlings were displaying a victorious smirk, like they had caught the hybrid doing something; seeing the desperate look on the boy's face, Vegeta knew that that was certainly the case here.

Well, as long as they stayed away from him, it didn't matter.

"You mean your _girlfriend_ falling into your arms was an accident?" Krillin asked sarcastically, speaking loudly so that everybody heard him so as to embarrass Gohan as much as possible.

And it worked wonderfully; straight away, every eye turned to the demi-Saiya-jin who's face was soon going to explode from so much blood in it. Gohan tried to clam down nevertheless, breathing deeply a few times.

"She's not my girlfriend, Krillin. And yes, it was an accident."

"Oh really?" Yamcha said, an eyebrow raised, "and was it also by accident that you were breathing her hair?" He teased.

Gohan's face, which had pretty much recovered its natural color, flared up right away once again. The boy tried to retort something, anything, but all that got out of his mouth were unintelligible stammers; he was so embarrassed by what Krillin and Yamcha had seen in the Jet. Why on Earth did they have to turn up precisely at that moment? Gohan barely dared imagine how Videl felt right now; she who had hesitated to get off the Jet because of her sudden shyness, she certainly wasn't going to, now!

"Gohan, what is this all about? What happened in that Jet?" Chichi asked.

The teenage boy breathed in deeply before turning to his mother. She wasn't angry or anything, just a little confused by what the friends of her late husband had said. A little uncomfortable, Gohan explained himself as best as he could.

"To be honest, I'm not sure of what happened. I was pulling Videl up and moment later," he paused, not really wanting to tell this part of the story, but continued nonetheless, eyes down and cheeks pinkish, "she was in my arms." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes still down, "I must have pulled her hand too strong I think, or it was her that lost her balance, I don't really know actually…"

"You're the one that pulled me too strong."

Everyone turned toward the Jet where the voice that just spoke was coming from. Appearing at the entrance to the jet, Videl stood with her arms crossed and brows slightly furrowed; then a light smile tugged at her lips.

"After all, you should know that I never lose my balance," she finished.

The Satan City crime-fighter scanned the group of people; some faces looked familiar to her but she didn't pay it much attention. Then, her blue eyes stopped on the boy who was constantly in her thoughts; Gohan seemed surprised for a moment, he probably didn't think that she would overcome her shyness by herself and appear like this – he should know better! Then a gentle smile came to the young man's lips, and Videl felt her heart skip a beat, her face flushing very slightly. Ordering herself to pull herself together, the teenage girl smiled back to her friend then climbed down the Jet, perfectly conscious that all eyes were on her.

Arriving in front of all these people that she didn't know, Videl lost a bit of the confidence she had recovered only moments before; she didn't know what to say before all these strangers; yet it was so evident – she needed to introduce herself of course. All she had to do was introduce herself, plain and simple, but her mind was blank, her voice caught in her throat. Nothing came out.

Gohan noticed his friend's trouble and came to her rescue straight away,

"This is Videl, a friend from high school," he explained.

It was then that a beautiful, blue-haired woman broke away from the group to take a few steps toward Videl. The breath of the latter woman got caught in her throat when she realized who it was.

"Hello, I'm Bulma Briefs; I will be your host this weekend. Nice to meet you, Videl."

"N-Nice to meet you too," Videl stammered, miraculously finding her voice back.

Smiling warmly at her young guest, the President of the Capsule Corporation then proceeded to introduce the remainder of the people there,

"And the man over there, it's Vegeta, Trunks' father." Bulma finished.

From afar, the Prince of Saiya-jins watched the human girl with the abnormally high Ki; she was very young and yet, she was as strong or stronger than the harpy who was the mother of Kakarot's brats, that woman being most probably the strongest female earthling that existed. Vegeta's curiosity was stirred, that was for sure.

Deciding that the best way to discover more about it was to question Kakarot's eldest, the Prince went toward him, and while he was at it, why not take advantage of it to spar with the boy in the Gravity Room?

"By the way, Gohan," Krillin began, "you still didn't tell us why it was that you were breathing Videl's hair in the Jet."

The two dark-haired teens blushed instantly and looked down while everyone was turning to them for explanations.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and decided, for once, to be nice and to save the brat from his embarrassing situation; he wanted to spar with him anyway – why not kill two birds with one stone?

"Gohan," he called, interrupting the boy's stammers and attracting everybody's attention on him, "come with me."

"To go where?"

It wasn't Gohan but his mother that questioned him; Vegeta scowled at her, glaring, but it left the woman with the bun unmoved, not being afraid of the man who had been, in the past, the biggest rival of her late husband in the least.

"It does not concern you, woman," Vegeta growled.

Videl frowned; who did this guy think he was, talking that way to Chichi? She was a princess, after all! She deserved more respect than that!

Hands on her hips, Videl walked toward the man, intending to teach him some manners; she was only able to take a few steps however, because an arm blocked her the way. Looking up to see whom the arm belonged to, the young girl raised her brows when she saw Gohan's serious expression, his eyes staring at the Prince.

"What do you want, Vegeta?"

The Saiya-jin Prince raised an eyebrow at the boy's almost aggressive tone and at the way he protected the girl; a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Well well… It seems like you've found yourself a mate, brat."

Gohan lost his serious expression straight away and his face took a crimson shade again while his eyes widened.

"Wh… What?"

Actually, Vegeta thought, those two idiots were rights; nagging Gohan about this girl was very entertaining. His smirk widened while he continued.

"You'd have to be blind not to see that you've chosen that girl."

Gohan breathed deeply, trying once again to calm down. Don't get in his game. He absolutely had to stay calm and not get worked up; it was just what Vegeta wanted and Gohan would _not_ give him that pleasure.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me what you want from me, Vegeta."

The Prince raised an eyebrow again, his smirk still present, "Nonsense, huh? We'll see if I'm talking nonsense. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you, and take advantage of it to use the Gravity Room. What do you say?"

"Absolutely not!"

This time again, Chichi replied instead of her son. Vegeta rolled his eyes; couldn't she let her son speak for himself? It was becoming irritating.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, woman."

Videl narrowed her eyes; couldn't he talk to anyone normally?

"Hey, you!"

Vegeta turned to the girl with a raised eyebrow, looking amused, "What's it, little girl?"

"Little girl?!" Videl repeated, outraged at being called this, "I'm no–"

"Videl," Gohan interrupted her, "stop."

The young girl looked up at him with angry eyes, "Stop? Didn't you hear what he just called me? And how he talked to your mother? And you want me to stop?!"

"Yes. Please," Gohan answered seriously.

Videl was about to retort stubbornly, but Gohan's eyes stopped her. Usually so cheerful and carefree, those eyes she loved so much were now reflecting worry, almost fear.

_What are you afraid of, Gohan?_

Videl ended up sighing, complying reluctantly. In any case, she already hated this Vegeta guy.

Gohan smiled, thanking her, then turned to the other Saiya-jin, "Sorry Vegeta, but I'm not going to leave everyone to go and spar with you; maybe later, if you still want to."

Vegeta stared at the boy for a while, the latter maintaining his stare without batting an eyelid. Then an almost imperceptible smirk tugged very slightly at his lips. The brat really was a true Saiya-jin.

"Very well," Vegeta finally conceded. "Tonight, after this stupid party; don't be late," he demanded.

Gohan nodded, and Vegeta went back to leaning against the tree he had left a bit earlier; Vegeta could wait for this party to end for his spar and for the information about the girl.

**To Be Continued…**


	19. Chapter 19

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 19**

Whatever she did, Videl couldn't manage to remember why some of Gohan's friends seemed more than familiar to her. She was certain she had seen them somewhere, but she was unable to remember where. And while she was concentrating to try to remember, she didn't notice Gohan's sudden panicked look. Because the young man had indeed just sensed his former mentor approach Capsule Corporation – his very green and very alien mentor. How was he going to explain that to Videl? He didn't want to lie to her, but he wasn't ready to tell her the truth yet.

"Oh, Piccolo's coming." Krillin said, having just sensed the Namek as well.

"Yeah, I'm sensing him too." Yamcha confirmed. "I didn't think that he would come."

Gohan didn't know what he should do. And Piccolo's Ki was getting closer and closer. What should he do? Tell Videl the truth? No, no, he wasn't ready yet, and he wanted to be closer to the girl first before telling her everything. Making something up seemed to be his only alternative. But he really didn't want to lie to her… Unless he could manage to convince Videl to wait for the answers, like he did last time, when she had asked him how he could change his hair color. It was better than lying. Yes, that was what he would do.

"Gohan, who are they talking about?" Videl precisely asked, bringing him out of his reflection. "And how can they know that someone is coming?"

"Well, it's thanks to a technique that we master which allow us to sense and identify a person's Ki." He replied. "It's a very useful technique during a fight; I could teach it to you if you want." He then proposed.

"I would like that, yes." She said. "But who are your friends talking about? You didn't answer that question."

"It's Piccolo." Gohan replied simply.

Videl frowned slightly. "And who is this… Piccolo?"

"You'll know soon enough; he's coming." The young man said, pointing to the sky. Videl's eyes followed the direction he was pointing at and saw a spot in the sky that was getting bigger and bigger. She guessed that it was this Piccolo guy. The girl then noticed something strange while Piccolo approached the giant dome: he was green.

She blinked. Then rubbed her eyes and turned them back to the sky. No, there was no possible mistake, this man was indeed green.

"Um… Gohan?" She called, not removing her eyes from the sky. "Is it normal that he is green?"

She heard her friend sigh. "Yes Videl, it's normal. Piccolo was born that way."

"Oh. Okay."

Actually, this explanation was more than enough. Videl didn't seem to need more. He had been worried for nothing, Gohan thought smiling.

"How come?"

Videl's question made his smile fall. _Damn,_ he thought, _I was sure it would be enough._

"Well, uhh… I'll tell you later."

Before Videl could protest, Piccolo landed in the garden of Capsule Corp. The crime fighter's eyes opened widely when she saw him close by. He was so tall! He was easily seven feet tall! And it wasn't all; he had pointy ears, and when he briefly greeted Bulma and the other guests, Videl could see his fangs. Not forgetting his green skin and strange outfit, it all made him a quite intimidating being. Not that she was intimidated! Well, maybe just a tiny bit…

Piccolo then went towards Gohan, who he hadn't seen in quite a while, and since Videl was standing near the latter, she could see the green man very, very close by.

It was ridiculous, she barely reached his waist! Why was she so short anyway? Even with Gohan, she barely reached his shoulder.

"So, that's who's taking all your time that you don't even come see me?" Piccolo said to his former student. The latter blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm really sorry Piccolo, but I've been rather busy with school and the rest these last few months."

Piccolo glanced to Videl, who told herself that it wouldn't be bad to be invisible at a time like this.

"So I see." He said, still keeping his gaze on the young girl.

"What? Ah, but that's not it at all! Videl has nothing to do with that! Really!" The young Saiya-jin said hurriedly, blushing even more.

"You know, I sometimes watch what you are doing from up there, so you're don't have to sweat on it."

Gohan lowered his head, his blush still as deep. "I'm sorry, Piccolo."

"It's okay," he said, then he placed his hand on his former student's head in an affectionate gesture. "But come see me, from time to time. And it wouldn't hurt you to train a little while you're at it. Same for me, for that matter."

The teenage boy lifted his head and smiled to his former mentor. It's true that there was only him who could pit his strength against Piccolo. There was Vegeta, of course, but the Namek didn't really like the Prince and his arrogance.

"By the way, this is Videl. She's a friend from school." Gohan said, remembering that he hadn't introduced Videl to Piccolo yet. "Videl, this is Piccolo." He continued. "He was my mentor and he's a really good friend."

The young girl raised her eyebrows at this information. This man had been Gohan's mentor? He must be very strong then, seeing Gohan's strength. He had beaten Cell at only ten, after all!

The Namek looked at the Earthling girl, raising one of his inexistent eyebrows. He had already seen her from up there, on Dende's Lookout, and so he knew who she was as well as her relationship with his former student, although he didn't understand everything about it. Gohan seemed to be very attached to her, but in a different way that himself was attached to Gohan. Piccolo decided not to think about it more, not wanting to have another headache like every time he tried to understand this human feeling called love.

Little by little, Videl relaxed under Piccolo's gaze. He was Gohan's friend, after all; she had nothing to fear of him. She mentally reprimanded herself for being intimidated by this man. And also for her incomprehensible shyness in the Jet. She was Satan Videl! These kinds of things should not happen! She really didn't understand what was going on with her lately.

"You're teaching her how to fly, right?" Piccolo said, turning his gaze back to the demi Saiya-jin.

"Yes, since the beginning of the week." He replied. "At the rate she's learning, it won't be very long before she masters it."

"Really?" Videl asked, surprised. She didn't really have the feeling she was making progress quickly; she just knew how to float rather high from the ground.

"Of course. You're very talented, Videl." Gohan said, smiling at her. The girl blushed slightly, both for his compliment and for his smile.

"Is that true, Gohan?" Krillin asked while approaching the trio. "You're teaching Videl how to fly?"

"Um, yeah." The young man replied. He had a bad feeling about it for some reason. And his bad feeling turned out to be justified:

"Are you sure that's what you're doing? Don't you guys take advantage of it to make out?" The former monk asked, a mischievous smirk glued on his face.

The two teens blushed deeply. The worst in this all, it was that they really did kiss, the first day of the flying lessons. And twice, on top of that.

Gohan sighed. He had a feeling that the allusions and teasing about him and Videl wouldn't cease during this party. He'd never hear the end of it.

* * *

Videl was blushing so much that she wondered if her face was ever going to get back to its natural color.

Throughout the party, Gohan's friends didn't give them a moment of peace, throwing teasing after teasing to the two teens. Now matter how much they protested or denied, the other guests didn't care; for them, Gohan and Videl were a couple.

"So you two, when's the wedding? You'll have to think about using protection during the honeymoon by the way, you guys are a little young to have kids."

"If you guys want to go and make out in a corner, don't mind us, go ahead. It's hard to control your hormones when you're a teen."

"Really Gohan, I don't know how you did to find such a pretty girl, but I'm happy for you. You two make a cute couple."

"Just between the two of us, Gohan, did you guys already do it? Come on, you can tell me! I'm your buddy after all!"

And there was no end to it. Be it Krillin, Yamcha, Oolong or anyone else, they weren't stopping. It was becoming unbearable; Gohan was very tempted to leave the party and go take it out on Vegeta, but he couldn't leave Videl alone with the other guests. They would eat her alive.

"How do you plan to get married? I would advise you an outdoor wedding; it's nicer that way, don't you think?"

"What about children? Did you think of names?"

"SHUT UP!!!"

The silence was complete in the garden at this sudden exclamation, and everybody turned towards the source. Gohan's face was so red that it could compete with a tomato and win hands down. As to know if it was from embarrassment or anger, only God knew – although it wasn't for sure.

What was sure however, it was that Gohan was fed up with all the teasing.

"How many times will we have to repeat that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING between Videl and I! We're just FRIENDS, and there will never be anything more!!"

"Oh, stop talking nonsense, Gohan." Krillin said rolling his eyes. "We just have to see how you look at her to understand that you're head over heels for this girl."

Gohan's eyes widened while the blush on his face deepened. He couldn't believe that Krillin actually said that. The young man glanced to Videl; strangely, she didn't seem surprised by what the noseless man had said – maybe she didn't believe him. But then, why did she look so sad?

"Stop with that, Krillin." The young Saiya-jin resumed. "I already told you that there was nothing between Videl and I."

"But you would like it if there was more, wouldn't you? Come on, admit that it's true!" Yamcha added with a mischievous look.

"I won't admit anything!" Gohan retorted. All this was seriously beginning to get on his nerves. Was it so hard to believe that he and Videl were just friends?

"Now everybody calm down." Bulma intervened, placing herself between the adults and teens. "Krillin, Yamcha, and the others, stop teasing Gohan and Videl. If they're saying that there's nothing between them, then there's nothing between them. Is that clear?"

"But…" Krillin tried. One look from Bulma quieted him, and he sighed, resigning himself. "Fine…"

"Really Bulma, you're no fun…" Yamcha complained, nearly whining.

Gohan sighed in relief. He had thought his face was going to explode from so much blood in it. He was very grateful to Bulma for saving him from this more than embarrassing situation – although she could still have intervened sooner; it had been hours that he and Videl were putting up with everyone's teasing. Well, at least it was over now.

He would finally be able to breathe.

* * *

The party resumed in a good atmosphere, despite the disappointment of some of the guests who could no longer tease Gohan and Videl without having Bulma on their back. Their attention was however diverted towards the delicious skewers of Mrs. Briefs and they forgot the two teens rather quickly.

"So, Videl," the President of Capsule Corp began while holding out a plate of skewers to the young high school student. "Do you have activities outside school? Careful, it's hot."

"Thank you." Videl said taking the plate. She had ended up relaxing before the Briefs heiress' sympathy and natural. "Yes, I train a lot in my father's dojo. I also help the police fight crime in the city sometimes, and Gohan helps me in his disguise."

Bulma raised her eyebrows. "You know that Gohan is Saiyaman?"

"I discovered it not too long ago." The young crime fighter replied.

"It must be dangerous to fight armed criminals, isn't it? You're not bulletproof after all." Yamcha said, inviting himself in the conversation.

"That's not going to stop me." She said.

"And I'm here to protect you." Gohan added, taking an umpteenth plate of skewers.

"Hmph. Like I need your help." Videl said.

"Oh come on Videl, you have to admit that I'm useful to you."

"Except for distracting the criminals with your ridiculous poses, I don't really see what you're useful for."

"My poses are NOT ridiculous!" The demi Saiya-jin protested, flushing deeply.

"Yeah, my big brother's poses are really cool!" Little Goten agreed, coming to fill up his plate of skewers. "Right Trunks?"

The little Prince sweatdropped. He had seen Gohan's poses on TV, and they were everything but cool.

"Um… Yeah?" He said, his reply sounding more like a question. Goten didn't notice however and he grinned widely while turning towards Videl.

"See?" He said.

Videl chuckled at the innocence of the Son youngest. The way Goten admired his big brother was so cute.

"Tell me, Videl," Krillin started, having followed the conversation since the beginning. "If your father own a dojo, it means that he is also a martial artist, right?"

"Um, yes, he is." Videl replied, not knowing where the noseless man was going with this line of questioning.

"Has he entered tournaments before? I'm asking because I entered a few world tournaments myself when I was younger."

"Oh, that's right!" Videl exclaimed, finally remembering where she had seen Krillin before. "You were in the semifinals of the Tenkaichi Budokai three years in a row! I knew your face was familiar!"

Krillin grinned proudly. "Yeah, that's me. But I never managed to get to the finals."

"You still had impressive results." Videl insisted.

"It's nice to see that there are people who remember. But let's get back to you."

"Oh right! Well, to answer your question, my father is the current world champion."

"But the current world champion is…" Krillin abruptly interrupted himself. Then he widened his eyes, realizing who the girl's father was.

"Your father is Mister Satan?!!"

**To Be Continued…**


	20. Chapter 20

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 20**

A heavy silence followed Krillin's exclamation, and everybody's attention turned towards the young crime fighter. Said crime fighter told herself that maybe she should have thought better before revealing the identity of her father. After all, these people were Gohan's friends, so it was obvious that they knew that her father didn't defeat Cell like he pretended to, and that it was in fact Gohan who had accomplished the feat. These people probably hated her father for what he did, and she couldn't blame them. She just hoped that they wouldn't judge her because she was her father's daughter; it wasn't her fault, after all.

"Is that true, Gohan?" Chichi asked her eldest. "Videl is really the daughter of this… man?"

The young Saiya-jin scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Didn't I tell you?"

"No…" The mother of two looked at the girl who, she had hoped, would become her daughter-in-law. Although she knew that Videl didn't choose her father and that she couldn't blame her for that, the idea that this impostor would one day become a member of her family didn't really delight her.

As for the rest of the group, they were all thinking the same. Though Videl didn't resemble her father in either personality or looks, now that they knew, they could see a little of Mr. Satan within the young girl, and none of them could manage to see the difference between Mr. Satan, the liar, and Videl, the girl standing before them. Yet they knew perfectly well that Videl wasn't responsible for her father's actions. In spite of this fact, they couldn't forget how the liar had made them appear as cheaters to the world.

Videl's voice then rose:

"Listen… I understand that you all resent my father for what he did; I resent him as well for that matter. I didn't ask to be his daughter, and I certainly didn't ask to be the target of journalists because I'm the daughter of the so-called world savior."

"Wait a second…" Bulma said, realizing something. "You know that your father didn't save the world?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, I do. I also know that it was Gohan who actually defeated Cell."

"Wow!" Yamcha said. "You must really trust her Gohan, for revealing the truth about the Cell Games to her!"

"I didn't really have to; Videl had already discovered everything by herself, I only had to confirm her suspicions." Gohan replied. "But it's true; I do trust her." He added smiling at his friend. She smiled back at him, glad to learn that Gohan trusted her.

But in that case, why did he need so much time to tell her the rest of his secrets?

* * *

"Why don't you ask Videl for a dance?"

Gohan turned to Yamcha, eyes narrowed. "Weren't you supposed to stop teasing us?"

Yamcha raised his hands in a pacifying way. "I'm not teasing you, really! But you two are friends, aren't you? And friends have a right to share a dance, don't they?"

"I guess…"

"Then why don't you ask Videl for a dance?" the scar-faced man asked again.

Gohan scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "It's that…"

"Well, if you don't want to, I'm going to ask her." Yamcha declared while he started walking towards the young crime fighter. However, he was held back by a hand on his shoulder. The man turned around to see Gohan frowning, and held back a victorious smirk upon seeing the young Saiya-jin, obviously jealous.

"It's okay, I'll ask her," said the latter.

Once the Son boy was away, Yamcha allowed a victorious smirk to form on his lips. Then he massaged his shoulder. That boy had one hell of a grip!

* * *

"Um… Videl?"

The girl in question didn't have any problem recognizing the person's voice who called her, and she turned towards Gohan. He looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes down, blushing slightly. She wondered what the matter was.

"Yes?" she said.

"Um… Would you… Would you like to dance?"

Videl raised her eyebrows, having not expected Gohan to ask her for a dance. Then she smiled. "Gladly."

The young man's face lit up and he grinned. He then held his hand out to her, who took it, and they went towards the dance floor which had been installed in the garden for the party. Just as they arrived at their destination, slow music began to play in the garden.

The two teens looked at each other for a few moments before getting into position for their dance: Gohan placed his hand on Videl's slender waist while she placed hers on his broad shoulders, the two of them beginning to dance to the slow pace of the music.

While they danced, Gohan felt lost in the depth of Videl's beautiful blue eyes. He never ceased to be marveled by the beauty of this girl. Of course, it wasn't only because she was beautiful that he had fallen madly in love with her; it was her strong personality, her determination, her courage, her intelligence, and plenty of other reasons that caused him to love Satan Videl.

* * *

"You were right, Chichi," Bulma told her friend as they watched the two teens dance. "Those two are definitely in love."

"I can't take credit for figuring it out; it's so obvious." Chichi replied.

"But then, what are they waiting for? They should tell each other! Why are they still just friends?" The blue-haired scientist wondered out loud.

The mother of two sighed. "I don't know. Maybe they don't know that their feelings are mutual. Or maybe they're afraid to engage themselves in a relationship. Who knows?"

"Still, it's such a shame. Those two would make such a cute couple."

"I know… Oh! My baby grew up so fast!"

Bulma shook her head at her friend. Then she turned her gaze back to the two teens who were still dancing, gazing into each other's eyes, and smiled.

"He did grow up quickly…" She said nostalgically. "I still remember this little boy that Goku introduced to us at Kame House, all those years ago…"

Chichi frowned, remembering that day. Or rather, the day after, when she learnt that her husband was dead and that her son was taken away by Piccolo. Her family had never been the same since then.

"Well, I didn't meet him that day; a _certain person_ hadn't informed me that they were visiting our friends." Yamcha said, inviting himself in the conversation.

Bulma crossed her arms. "Hmph. You should thank me instead. You would have met Goku's _lovely_ brother had you come, and he would had eaten you alive."

Yamcha shrugged. Then he turned to Chichi. "Would you like to dance, Chichi? I would've asked you Bulma, but I don't think your dear husband would appreciate it. Luckily I don't think Goku would mind if I danced with his wife."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I think I'll be able to recover."

"Let's go, Chichi?"

The woman in question shrugged. "Why not."

* * *

The stupid party was finally ending. About damn time. All this time wasted to watch the stupidity of those Earthlings when he could have trained in his Gravity Room. Vegeta hoped that his fight with Gohan would be worth it.

It had been years since the two of them had last fought; in fact, the only time they had fought was when Vegeta first came to Earth. They had both made considerable progress since then, and the Prince was curious to see the demi Saiya-jin's level now. The last time he had seen Gohan fight was against Cell, and the child he had been then had more than impressed him.

However, Gohan hadn't been training much at all since this last fight; Vegeta hoped that he wasn't too rusty. He wanted a fight worthy of the name!

The Prince left the garden to go directly to his Gravity Room. Arriving at his destination, he didn't waste any time in setting the gravity to 500G and starting to warm up.

Gohan had better be up to it!

* * *

Gohan saw Vegeta go back inside, probably to go to the Gravity Room. He felt a little nervous thinking of the upcoming fight; after all, he hadn't fought seriously for seven years already, and he trained very rarely, only to stay in shape, while Vegeta had trained non-stop for years. He wasn't sure he would have the upper hand in this fight.

"Everything's alright, Gohan?"

The young man looked down at his friend and smiled at her to reassure her.

"Yes, everything's alright. But I'll have to get going now; Vegeta's waiting for me."

"Are you two really going to fight?" Videl asked. She wasn't really worried for Gohan; after all, he had beaten Cell. But she didn't trust this Vegeta guy.

"I have to admit that I would rather not." Gohan said with a sigh. "But well, I promised him."

"Are you sure it'll be alright?" The girl insisted.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, don't worry. Well, I'll get going. Bulma will show you your room for the night; goodnight Videl."

She nodded. "Okay. Goodnight Gohan."

With a last smile, the young Saiya-jin left the garden, going towards the Ki of the Prince of all Saiya-jins. The house was so big that he kept getting lost, and he wasn't really sure where to go to get to the Gravity Room, so following Vegeta's Ki was the simplest solution.

When he arrived, he entered the intermediary room which allowed anyone to enter the main room without disrupting the gravity machine. Then, taking a deep breath, he entered the room. Although he was not used to the high gravity of the room, his body wasn't greatly affected by it.

Vegeta stopped his warm up when the demi Saiya-jin entered the room. Gohan took off the shirt he had been wearing during the party as well as his shoes so they wouldn't trouble him during the fight; he then started to warm up while Vegeta watched him, his arms crossed.

_Okay, he doesn't seem too rusty, _the Prince thought._ Let's see what he's worth in a fight._

"Ready?" he said, powering up to his maximum without going Super Saiya-jin. His opponent did the same, and they took their fighting stance.

Then, the moment after, they disappeared. The fight had begun.

* * *

While Bulma led the other guests to their rooms for the night, some of them stopped abruptly. Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Goten and Trunks could sense the fight that was taking place, and the power that the two opponents displayed was unbelievable.

"Say, Bulma," Krillin started. "There are cameras in the Gravity Room, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We would like to watch the fight between Gohan and Vegeta." Yamcha replied.

The female scientist shrugged. "Okay, then follow me."

Thus the whole group found themselves in the control room, which by chance was spacious enough to fit everyone in. Videl looked at the numerous screens, expecting to see the fight between Gohan and Vegeta, but the Gravity Room seemed empty.

"Amazing!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"It's been a while since we saw a fight like this!" Krillin said while watching the screens.

Videl looked at them, confused. What were they talking about? She couldn't see any fight here.

Before she could ask anything, Chichi, who had noticed her confused look, told her:

"You can't see them because they're moving too fast."

The girl turned to the dark-haired woman, frowning. "It reminds me of the Cell Games fight that had been broadcasted on TV."

Chichi smiled. "Of course, since it was my Goku who was fighting Cell."

Videl nodded, then turned her eyes to the screens. The Gravity Room still seemed empty, although now she knew that it wasn't. Gohan and Vegeta were fighting, but they were moving so fast that she couldn't see them.

All of sudden, the two opponents reappeared. Videl couldn't help blushing when she saw that Gohan was shirtless, but she pulled herself together and focused on the two men.

They seemed to be talking, but the camera didn't perceive the sounds and she couldn't hear what they were talking about.

One of the screens showed a close-up of Gohan, and the girl blushed again when she saw him, his muscular body streaming of sweat. She wasn't able to admire him for long because he suddenly disappeared, just like his opponent.

The fight had resumed.

* * *

"Is that all you can do?" Vegeta jibed while dodging and blocking Gohan's blows.

The latter was getting sick of the Prince's attitude. Okay, so he lacked training; there was no need to keep reminding him!

Jumping back, Gohan concentrated a few moments and went Super Saiya-jin. Vegeta smirked and quickly followed. The two Super Saiya-jins faced each other, their golden aura lighting up the Gravity Room.

In the control room, the excitement was at its height; the two warriors were now getting serious. Although she knew that Gohan could transform and change his hair and eyes color, actually seeing him transform was a completely different matter for Videl. It was a really impressive sight to behold.

Back to the Gravity Room, Gohan was the first to attack. His first blows were parried, but his speed kept increasing as he attacked and, finding an opening in his opponent's defense, he managed to punch him on the jaw. He followed with a few punches on Vegeta's chest, and finished with a kick on the ribs that sent the Prince crash against the wall of the room, leaving his body imprint on it.

Ignoring the pain inflicted by the demi Saiya-jin's blows, Vegeta smirked. The brat wasn't doing so badly after all. He had a feeling that he was going to have fun.

**To Be Continued...**


	21. Chapter 21

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 21**

Unable to see much of the fight between Gohan and Vegeta, Videl was getting bored. There were a few times where the two opponents would take short breaks, to catch their breath or to talk about something, but the cameras didn't catch the sounds, and she couldn't hear what they were telling each other. Furthermore, Gohan was shirtless, making her blush each and every time she would look at him during those breaks. So Videl preferred not to remain in the control room any longer and asked Bulma where her room for the night was.

The female scientist smiled at her with sympathy, immediately understanding that the young girl would rather go to sleep than watch a room that seemed empty.

"I will lead you to your room," she then replied. "I don't see much of the fight either anyway."

"Thank you, Bulma." Videl still felt a little awkward to be on first name basis with such an influential woman, but the heiress had insisted that she addressed her that way.

"Follow me." The blue-haired woman told her as she went towards the exit of the control room. Videl followed her out of the room and through the endless corridors of Capsule Corp.

"Here it is," Bulma said showing a door. "Goodnight Videl."

"Goodnight Bulma."

* * *

Chichi had seen Bulma and Videl leave the control room. She could have followed them to go to bed as well – after all, she didn't see much of the fight either – but she wanted to be there to make sure that her son was alright when the battle ended and the men emerged from the Gravity Room.

Gohan and Vegeta reappeared on the screens, once more taking a short break in their fight. Chichi pursed her lips when she saw her son covered in bruises; she noticed with worry that Vegeta looked less affected by the fight than Gohan. Maybe she should have let Gohan train a little more often rather than make him study constantly; he was, after all, very smart already. And right now, he seemed to need training more than books.

Thankfully, they had Senzu Beans.

* * *

Gohan knew that he didn't have the upper hand in this confrontation, and yet he had to admit that he was enjoying the fight immensely. It had been a long time since he had last fought like this, and he had missed it. What he didn't like, in the end, was fighting for his life, for the future of the planet; but he had nothing against fighting just for fun, as he was doing now. Rather than fearing the rest of the fight, he looked forward to it.

Gohan told himself that he really should have kept up his training throughout the last seven years; it would have been very useful to him in his current fight. Before launching himself again at his opponent, the demi Saiya-jin promised himself to train more often from now on.

Blows were pouring, often dodged or blocked, sometimes reaching their targets. Despite the fact that Vegeta had the upper hand, Gohan wasn't going to give up without a fight and he was giving everything he had. And as their battle wore on, the young warrior, becoming more and more familiar with his opponent's style of fighting, could dodge the latter's blows better and land his owns more often. The Prince noticed it and inwardly rejoiced; he was having more fun because of it.

Two hours later and the battle hadn't lost any of its intensity; the group in the control room continued to follow it with just as much excitement and anticipation as they had in the beginning. They could feel that the end of the fight was nearing and couldn't wait to know who would be the victor: despite the fact that Vegeta had had the upper hand during the whole confrontation, Gohan's performances could not be ignored and the audience knew that he had every chance of winning.

Moving away from each other once again, the two opponents watched one another in their fighting stance, catching their breath.

"I have to say that you are managing a lot better than I thought." Vegeta then noted. "Those seven years of peace didn't make you as rusty as I had assumed they would."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. Vegeta had almost complimented him, proving through his good mood that the Prince was really having a lot of fun in their fight. Considering that no one but Gohan could pit his strength against the Prince – giving Vegeta only limited opportunities to fight at this level – the royal's enjoyment of the fight wasn't that surprising.

In any case, Gohan couldn't blame him; after all, he too was having a lot of fun, and to a degree, he regretted that he would have to end the fight.

"As for you, you made a lot of progress; your current level is nothing like the one you had seven years ago. But it's not surprising since you train constantly for years," Gohan pointed out.

The Prince smirked. "Of course; what else do you expect me to do on this planet? But you should have followed my example those last few years; you wouldn't have to struggle so much had you trained correctly."

The young warrior frowned. "I don't have to struggle against you at all, Vegeta."

"Oh really? Well we'll see about that. How about ending this fight in flourish, with our most powerful attacks?" Vegeta proposed.

A look of determination came to Gohan's face, and he already started to power up as he said:

"You're on."

* * *

Gohan was walking in the corridors of Capsule Corp, a goofy grin glued on his face. He did it. He beat Vegeta. During their final attack, at the last moment, he had felt a sudden increase in his energy and his attack had rushed right at Vegeta. It was only when the battle ended on his victory that he realized that he had gone up to the second level of his Super Saiya-jin transformation; he hadn't even noticed.

After the both of them took a Senzu Bean, Vegeta hadn't been in a good mood. After all, he could reach the second level of the Super Saiya-jin transformation just as well, but before he could even think of going up to the next level, he had seen Gohan's attack rushing right at him. To him it was cheating, because they had both decided not to reach that level in order to minimize the damage they caused to the building; they didn't want to have Bulma on their back. Nothing had been said in concrete terms, but to Vegeta, it was an obvious fact, and he did not accept his defeat. He went to bed grumbling, followed by Bulma. Gohan hoped that she would manage to calm him down a little; he didn't want to have an unhappy Prince on his back.

While he walked down the corridors, the demi Saiya-jin sensed Videl's Ki behind a door, and she didn't seem to be sleeping. It was rather strange that she wasn't asleep yet; his mother had told him that Videl had gone to bed about ten or fifteen minutes after the beginning of his fight with Vegeta, over two hours ago. Why wasn't she sleeping yet?

He knocked softly on the door of Videl's room and waited. The young man heard the sound of soft steps coming closer to the door, which then opened on Videl, wearing her pajamas. Gohan blushed slightly when he saw that she was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt that seemed too big for her.

"Gohan? What are you doing here?" she asked, having not expected to see him at her door.

"I was wondering why you weren't sleeping yet," he replied while looking away. Thankfully she couldn't see his blush as it was dark.

"How could you know that I wasn't sleeping?"

"I could sense it in your Ki."

"Oh."

Silence followed, then Gohan asked her again, looking back at her:

"Why aren't you sleeping yet? My mom told me that you went to bed about ten minutes after the beginning of the fight, and that was more than two hours ago."

"I can't sleep."

Gohan frowned. "Is something wrong?"

_Yes: I can't stop thinking about you,_ she replied inwardly. Videl sighed, running her hand through her untied hair. How did things end up like this? She had just wanted to know what Son Gohan was hiding; falling in love with him had not been part of the plan.

"No, don't worry," she ended up replying.

"You sure?" he insisted.

She forced a smile. "Yes, everything's alright."

His brows furrowed even more; he could see that something was definitely wrong, and it pained him that Videl didn't want to talk to him about it.

"Does it have something to do with me?" he then asked.

Videl bit down her lip, not answering. This worried him even more. So it really had something to do with him? What did he do?

"Videl, tell me what the matter is."

She avoided his gaze, not daring to answer. Instead, she asked him if he wanted to come in; he was still standing in the doorway.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Gohan watched Videl in the darkness as she sat down on the bed, her head lowered. He went to sit down beside her, and placed his hand on hers, asking her what was wrong once again.

She blushed slightly, her eyes staring at his hand on hers. Then, she looked up at him, meeting the intense gaze of the young man next to her. She wanted to tell him then. She wanted to open up her heart to him.

But the words were caught in her throat. She didn't dare. Yet she had no reason to; she knew perfectly that he shared her feelings. But she was scared. She didn't know where it could lead them, if it would end well. What if he ended up leaving her? Videl didn't want to be brokenhearted again; it hurt too much.

And yet, gazing into the reassuring eyes of this boy who had stolen her heart, she told herself that he would never do that. Gohan truly loved her, it was obvious. And she loved him too.

But then, what was she waiting for?

Gohan didn't expect it at all when Videl moved closer to him to press her lips to his, and he needed a few moments to respond to this unexpected kiss. He pulled her to him, and she sat astride his lap as they kissed passionately. Gohan's questions were then completely forgotten.

They stopped after a while, catching their breath and looking into each other's eyes. Gohan could see lust in Videl's, and he didn't doubt that she could see the same thing in his. She kissed him again, pushing him back slightly until he lay down on the bed. He then rolled her on her back so that he was on top of her, deepening the kiss. She moaned against his mouth, proceeding to unbutton his shirt.

As she was finishing unbuttoning his shirt, Gohan's lips went down to her neck, and he slid her own shirt off her shoulders to have a better access to it. Her breath sped up and she stayed still for a moment as Gohan's fingers slid under her garment, caressing her skin, his touch burning her. She wanted him so badly that it was becoming painful.

She finished unbuttoning his shirt and got rid of it hastily, uncovering the young man's muscular torso. Her hands ran over his strong back, making him shiver, and his lips went back up to kiss her again.

Gohan had never felt anything like this before. His lust for her had never been as strong, and he had never felt as in love as he was now. He loved her so much. He wanted more than anything to show her.

But something stopped him abruptly. A realization. Could he really go that far with Videl, while she didn't even know what he really was? Could he do this to her, while she had no idea what she was getting herself into?

No, he could not. He had no right.

So, with inhuman effort, he broke their kiss, and spoke the words that tore his heart apart.

"I… I'm sorry. I can't."

In turn, Videl's heart broke to pieces, and she watched in horror as Gohan got up and exited the room in a hurry.

Tears filled up her eyes as realization hit her roughly. She had been about to give herself to Gohan. She had felt ready. She wanted to be with him.

And he rejected her.

* * *

Gohan was hurting terribly. When he arrived in his room, he closed the door and collapsed against it, tightly holding his chest which was hurting him atrociously. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out to relieve his suffering.

He couldn't believe what he had just done. He had abandoned Videl while they had been about to… He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think of how her lips tasted, how her skin felt, and how he shivered under her touch. He didn't want to think about it at all.

But he was unable to avoid it. He couldn't forget. He would never be able to forget. And more than anything, he wanted to go back to her and tell her everything… But he was scared. He was so scared of her reaction. He feared that when she would know, there would be disgust in those eyes he loved so much.

But now, he knew it; she would never look at him in the same way again. Not after what just happened, not after what he just did to her. They could never be friends like before, he was sure of it.

He was going to lose her. And it was tearing his heart apart.

But he could no longer do anything about it.

**To Be Continued…**


	22. Chapter 22

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 22**

When she woke up, Videl was hoping that last night had been just a dream – or rather, a nightmare. But she couldn't ignore her heavy heart, and her still sore eyes reminded her of all the tears she had shed before falling asleep.

So, this nightmare was real; Gohan had really rejected her, when she'd finally felt ready to be with him.

She tried to fight down her tears, but there was nothing she could do. It hurt too much. She cried, shaking with sobs.

She didn't understand anything anymore. It didn't make any sense. Gohan loved her; he said it clearly to Goten the other night. Then why did he reject her?

Maybe… Maybe his feelings for her had changed. Maybe he only saw her as a friend now… But he had showed that he wanted to be with her only a few days ago; how could his feelings change in such a short time? And, he had kissed her back last night, and even seemed ready to go further. Let alone the lust she had seen in his eyes…

She didn't know what to think anymore. If Gohan loved her, he wouldn't have rejected her; it didn't make sense. But could his feelings for her really change in such a short time? It wasn't impossible…

Yes, that must be it. Gohan's feelings had simply changed. And if he had kissed her back last night, it was probably because of his teenage hormones. Nothing more.

Gohan didn't love her anymore.

* * *

He had spent the night on the floor, not having the strength to go to his bed. His back was sore, but it was the least of his worries right now. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, despite everything he did to forget. Gohan felt miserable; what he had done was terrible, and he knew that he lost the girl he loved forever. From now on, things could never be the same as before; from now on, he could never be with her, like he desired so much. He didn't even know if he would be able to look her in the eyes after what he had done to her.

What was worse, he had hurt the dearest person to his heart. He didn't even want to imagine how Videl must be feeling right now. And to think he'd have to see her during today's party…

Gohan sighed, finally deciding to get up from the floor which he had spent the night on. Massaging his sore neck a bit, the young Saiya-jin went towards the closet and found his clothes inside it. He then entered the bathroom which was linked to the bedroom; practically every bedroom of the building had their own bathroom. He took off his pants and boxers – his missing shirt reminded him that he had left it in Videl's room, and his face hardened when he remembered under what conditions, trying to dispel those thoughts.

Shaking his head sharply, Gohan got in the shower.

With some luck, a really cold shower would make him forget a little.

* * *

Reminding herself that Videl wouldn't be able to know where to go in the huge building that was Capsule Corp, Bulma decided to go see the girl in her room in order to show her the way. She was about to knock on the door of her room, when she heard an unexpected sound coming from the other side of the door. A sound she had no trouble identifying.

Sobs.

Furrowing her brows, the rich heiress knocked on the door and listened intently. The sobs calmed down little by little and, after a few moments, Videl's voice, that was meant to be neutral, asked:

"Who is it?"

"Videl? It's me, Bulma. Is everything alright?" The scientist questioned in turn.

Silence followed. Bulma insisted:

"Videl?"

"Yes… Everything is alright." The teenage girl's weak voice said.

Bulma's brows furrowed even more. Everything was obviously not alright; but what could have had happened since yesterday night?

"Can I come in?" She then asked.

"I… I need to get ready…" Videl replied after a few moments. "Could you come by later?"

Bulma sighed, knowing that she didn't have a choice. "Alright."

Inside the room, Videl listened intently as the steps of the President went away, and she sighed in relief. She hadn't been able to let her in, because then, she wouldn't have been able to pretend that everything was alright; not with her eyes that she guessed were red because of all those hours she had spent crying.

She then decided to get up and get ready. Taking what she needed from the closet of the bedroom, the young girl then entered the bathroom. She winced upon seeing her reflection on the mirror; it wasn't a pretty sight…

Letting out a deep sigh, Videl took her pajamas off then got in the shower, her muscles relaxing under the hot water. After about twenty minutes under the water, she got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. Looking again in the mirror, the dark haired girl noted that her eyes were slightly less red and her complexion was less pale, which was already better.

She dried her hair quickly then got dressed. She had slightly hesitated, but finally decided to wear her usual attire: a loose, white shirt and black shorts. She didn't plan on staying for today's party anyway; why bother dressing up?

Videl then got out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed to wait for Bulma. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door and went to answer it, knowing that it was the Briefs heiress.

"Hello Videl." The President greeted. "Are you okay?"

"Actually I…" She hesitated a little, then resumed: "I'm not feeling very well today. I think I'd better go home. I'm sorry I can't stay longer."

"Oh. I see." Bulma then smiled to the girl. "I'll lead you to the exit, then. Follow me."

Videl nodded silently, walking next to the female scientist who was watching her from the corner of her eye. There was no need to be a genius to understand that something had happened, probably during the night. Bulma wasn't sure, but she had the feeling that it had something to do with Gohan. She didn't see what else could have made Videl cry; because it was obvious that she had cried. It was enough to look at her red eyes to understand.

However, Bulma wasn't sure that it was indeed Gohan the cause of Videl's sorrow. Thinking fast, she decided to see the girl's reaction if she mentioned the young warrior.

Watching Videl's reaction intently, Bulma asked her, looking unconcerned:

"By the way, don't you want to say goodbye to the others? To Gohan?"

At the mention of the boy who had broken her heart, Videl could feel her tears coming back.

No. She wouldn't cry, not anymore. Not for him. She was stronger than that.

So, breathing in deeply, the young girl managed to hold back her tears and replied, in her most neutral voice:

"I just want to go home, Bulma. Could you tell them goodbye for me, please?"

"No problem, I'll tell them." Bulma assured her. Now, she was sure of it; something happened between Videl and Gohan during the night. And if she couldn't get answers from Videl, she shouldn't have any trouble getting them from Gohan.

With that thought in mind, she led the young girl to the exit of Capsule Corporation.

* * *

It had been a while that Gohan was done getting ready. But the thing is, the young man couldn't decide himself to go out of his room to join his friends. He concentrated for a moment, and his senses informed him that some of the guests were already in the garden of Capsule Corp, probably having breakfast.

His stomach grumbled when he thought about the delicious cooking of Mrs. Briefs, and he looked down at his belly, frowning. It really chose the right time to be hungry. Why did he have to have such a huge appetite? His life would've been so much simpler if he hadn't been born a Saiya-jin.

If he hadn't been born a Saiya-jin, he wouldn't have to hide it from Videl. He could have been with her, without any secret to ruin everything. If he hadn't been born a Saiya-jin, he wouldn't have to abandon Videl last night like he did, and maybe… Maybe, instead of waking up on the floor with a sore back and a heavy heart this morning, he would have woken up beside the girl he loved.

But he was born a Saiya-jin, and because of it, he couldn't be with Videl. Why couldn't he be like everyone else? Why couldn't he have a normal life, without battles to save the world or a father constantly away?

Gohan sighed. Thinking like this was pointless. He was born a Saiya-jin and he could do nothing about it.

He would never be with Videl; he had to accept it.

That thought discouraged him even more. And despite his stomach's protestations, he decided to stay in this room for as long as he could.

It was then that he realized something. He couldn't sense Videl anywhere in Capsule Corp, or even in West City.

Videl left?

Concentrating more intensively he spotted Videl's Ki, miles away from West City. His heart clenched when he felt the pain emanating from the girl's Ki; he clenched his fists, cursing his origins. The dearest person in the world to him was suffering, all because of what he was. If only he had the courage to simply tell her everything.

He needed time. He wasn't ready to tell her, not yet. And maybe then, she would understand, and would forgive him.

Or she would reject him and would never want to hear from him again.

Letting out another sigh, Gohan finally decided to go out of his room and join his friends in the garden. He wasn't going to meet Videl now, anyway.

* * *

Finally, the party was over, and he could go home. Gohan didn't know how much longer he would have been able to pretend to be okay.

He got the capsule containing the Jet out, activated it and threw it, creating a cloud of smoke. Saying goodbye to his friends one last time, he climbed in the Jet to the diver's seat, followed by his mother and brother, and started the engine.

Bulma watched as the Jet took off and then flew away in the sky. She didn't have the opportunity to question her godson about what had happened with Videl, but it wasn't so bad, because she had the time to talk to Chichi about it before the young man arrived to the garden this morning. She was certain that Chichi would know how to make her son talk, and tell her everything afterwards.

She only had to wait.

* * *

"It really was a great party!" Goten said as he entered the house, his brother and mother behind him. "But it's a shame that Videl had to leave this morning."

Gohan's face hardened at the mention of the young crime fighter. Thinking about her was too painful, especially when he remembered the pain he had felt in Videl's Ki; the pain _he_ had caused her.

Chichi noticed the sudden change in her eldest son at the mention of Videl, which only confirmed Bulma's deductions. Something definitely happened between her son and the teenage girl during the night, and she had every intention to know what.

"Goten dear, it's getting late; time to go to bed." She told her youngest son.

The latter sighed; he didn't feel tired at all. But he knew that it was pointless to argue with his mother, so he went up to his room, after saying goodnight to his family.

"I'll go too." Gohan said, about to go up to join Goten in their room. His mother's voice stopped him:

"Wait, Gohan." She said. "I would like to talk to you about something."

"What's it?" He asked, going down the few steps he had climbed up.

"Let's go to the kitchen; would you like some hot cocoa?" Chichi suggested.

"Um, yes. Okay." Gohan said, wondering what his mother wanted to talk to him about. It couldn't be about Videl, could it? How could she suspect that something happened between them last night?

Gohan shook his head. He was imagining things; it couldn't be about Videl. His mother, like everyone else, didn't suspect a thing. Maybe she wanted to talk to him about his studies, or about his crime fighting activities or something like that. Yes, that must be it.

**To Be Continued…**


	23. Chapter 23

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 23**

As soon as she arrived home, Videl went to isolate herself inside her room, collapsing on her queen-sized bed. She didn't know how much time had passed since then, but it must have been a while because when she opened her eyes again, it was already night.

Time flowed too quickly. In only a few hours, she would have to see Gohan, and it was the last thing she wanted. Maybe she could miss a few days of school… Besides, that way, she would be able to train more seriously; after all, the tournament was nearing.

_Ah! How am I supposed to learn how to fly correctly, now?_ She thought suddenly. She didn't want to ask the boy who rejected her, but she didn't seem to have a choice. The girl wanted to learn how to fly, it would help her greatly during the tournament or when she would fight crime. But how could she without Gohan's help?

_I could… I could try to do it myself… _She told herself._ I know the basics, after all, and I can fly a little already. I should be able to do it; I have to try at least._

Not feeling tired, the young crime fighter decided to get up. Why not begin her training alone now?

* * *

Sitting at the table, Gohan waited in silence as his mother was making them hot cocoas; Chichi stayed silent as well, thinking of a way to address the issue of Videl with her son without him setting himself. Before she knew it, the cups were ready to be served and she still hadn't decided.

She put one before her eldest son then settled herself in front of him, with a hot cocoa in hand. Seconds processed slowly, none of them saying a word. Then, finally, Gohan decided to break this silence, which had begun to be heavy.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

Chichi didn't answer right away, staring at her milk which was getting cold. She finally decided that it would be pointless to beat around the bush and said, looking up to her son:

"I wanted to talk to you about Videl."

Gohan frowned. He didn't want to talk about Videl at all, let alone with his mother. He loved her but now, really, he wasn't in the mood to hear her talk about his so-called future wedding with the girl and about their future children; after what had happened the night before, it would only remind him that it would never happen.

But Gohan supposed that avoiding the subject would only make his mother suspicious of the fact that something had happened between he and Videl, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Resigned, he let out a sigh and asked: "What do you want to know?"

"Well," Chichi began, choosing her words carefully. "I've been wondering if you knew why Videl had left so early today."

Gohan looked at his mother suspiciously. Could it be that she suspected something?

"I have no idea." He lied.

Chichi knew that her son was deliberately lying to her and she didn't like it at all. She didn't raise him like that!

"You mean nothing happened since yesterday night?" She asked in a suspicious tone.

This time, he was sure of it: his mother was suspecting something. He was about to lie again, but a look at Chichi put him off. She was looking severely at him, almost defying him to dare lie to her again; because it was obvious that she understood.

He lowered his head, ashamed. He was ashamed of lying to his mother, ashamed of what he had done to Videl, ashamed of being such a coward. He wasn't worthy being the son of Son Goku and Chichi.

He wasn't worthy of Videl.

"I don't want to talk about it." He ended up saying.

Chichi supposed that she made some progress; at least Gohan wasn't lying to her anymore. But if her son reacted like that, if he'd felt the need to lie to her and didn't want to confide in his own mother, it meant that what had happened must be affecting him more than she thought. And this only increased the worry of the mother.

She got up from her seat in front of him and went to sit next to her son, who's head was still lowered. She lifted his chin to make him look at her in the eyes, and Gohan could see in them all the worry he was causing her. He really was an unworthy son.

"Gohan." She said softly but firmly. "Tell me what happened."

"Mom I…"

"Please." She cut him off. "I'm your mother, Gohan, and I have a right to know why you're hurting so much."

The young man closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He couldn't believe that he was about to tell everything to his mother, but he owed it to her. She didn't deserve to be constantly worried for him; she had been anxious enough for him since he was a child, having to fight for Earth since childhood. She shouldn't be worrying for his love stories now. She didn't deserve this.

So, he told her everything. Staring at his still full cup, he didn't dare look at his mother as he related the events of last night.

"I love her… so much… but I'm so scared of her reaction if I told her about my past, my origins… That's why I couldn't go further with her, even though I was dying to." He sighed. "I know you think that we never should've found ourselves in such a situation, that we're too young for that and that we should wait to be married before going that far but… when she kissed me I… I lost control and I let my feeling lead me." He paused, his head still lowered, then said: "But anyway, after what I've done to her, I doubt she'd still want me, be it as a lover or as a friend."

Silence followed, Gohan still not daring look at his mother. As for Chichi, after she had listened to her eldest son's story without interrupting him, she didn't know what to respond, knowing that no matter what she said, she couldn't soothe her son's pain.

So, she held him in her arms.

Gohan held his mother against him, closing his eyes tightly. To know that she always accepted him despite his actions comforted him. He knew that he could always count on her, and that she would always be there for him.

* * *

As soon as her feet touched the ground of the training room, Videl collapsed on her knees to catch her breath, exhausted after the effort she'd just made. However, she couldn't hold herself back from smiling proudly. She was doing it. She was making progress, by herself, without anyone's help. She will be able to keep up her flying training, without having to go back to Gohan's. This thought relieved her. She didn't feel ready to face the young man after what had happened between them; she needed time in order to pick the pieces of her heart. She would go back to school… but not right now.

Having caught her breath, Videl got back up. She looked at her watch and decided to train for another hour before going to bed.

She concentrated again, gathering her energy under her feet without much difficulty. The girl took off from the ground, levitating a few feet – thankfully the ceiling of the training room was very high. She concentrated more, moving in the air. Videl was so focused that she didn't even notice when her father entered the training room. Confused to find nobody at first – the servants had told him that his daughter was here – he then raised his head and his eyes widened.

"Vi… Videl?"

The young crime fighter, so surprised by the sudden appearance of her father, lost her balance. She hit the ground with a wince; Gohan wasn't here to catch her anymore.

"Videl!" Mister Satan exclaimed while rushing to his daughter. "Videl, are you alright?"

"I'm okay…" She said as she straightened up. "But please, don't surprise me like that."

"Sorry honey." He apologized as he helped his daughter up. "But I didn't expect to see you floating in the air. It's that boy who taught you how to fly, right? What's his name again? Gohan?"

"Yes." Videl replied, not showing how painful it was to hear the boy's name.

"By the way Dad," she then began, changing the subject quickly. "I would like to focus on my training until the tournament, and I thought that it'd be better for me to take a break from my studies until then. Before you protest," she added when she saw her father open his mouth, "I'll only miss a month of school, and I'll catch up with all of my classes after the tournament. If I want to have a chance in this competition, I have to focus on my training."

Mister Satan felt divided. He was proud that his daughter took martial arts so seriously, but her studies were very important for her future.

"Please, Dad. I have to train." Videl insisted, her eyes begging.

Her father sighed. He could never say 'no' to her when she gave him that look. Besides, Videl was a smart and serious girl, and she assured him that she would catch up with all her classes once the tournament was over; he didn't really have any reason to refuse.

"Alright, you can miss school until the tournament." He finally said. Videl's face lit up and she jumped in his arms while exclaiming:

"Thanks Dad!"

Holding his daughter in his arms, Mister Satan smiled. As long as Videl was happy, it was all that mattered.

* * *

As he flew towards his school in his superhero disguise, Gohan felt apprehension well up more and more inside him. He dreaded the time he would have to see Videl again, though unavoidable. He didn't feel ready to see her again after what had happened the other night. After he'd abandoned her when they'd been about to…

Gohan shook his head sharply, wanting to dispel from his thoughts images of this infamous night that were coming to him. He didn't want to think about it anymore; he just wanted what happened that night to never happen. The young Saiya-jin sighed, knowing very well that it was a lie. In fact, what he would've actually wanted was that he wouldn't have had to abandon Videl at all. He would've wanted to continue what they were doing, spend the night with her, wake up next to her the next morning. He would've wanted to show her just how much he loved her, tell her, and stay with her forever.

But that would never happen.

* * *

Videl never came. It was already lunch time and there was still no sign of the teenage girl. What was strange was that even Erasa, her best friend, knew nothing about the girl's absence.

"It's very strange." The young blonde said with a worried look, as they were having lunch. "There was no crime to fight this morning, so it can't be the reason she's not here. Maybe she's sick… But why didn't she tell me anything?"

Gohan stayed silent. He knew that it was because of him that Videl hadn't come today; he would've done the same, for that matter, if his mother hadn't insisted that he faced his problems. Besides, she flatly refused that he missed a day of school, no matter the reason. His education was much more important than anything else.

"Why don't you call her?" Sharpner suggested. He was looking at Gohan nastily; he still hadn't digested that the dark-haired boy had kissed the girl he wanted. If only he knew…

With determination, Erasa nodded her head. She got her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Videl's personal phone number. After a while, she hung up.

"She's not answering."

"Try her home number." Gohan proposed; the blond-haired girl nodded her head again and did as she was told.

_"Satan Residence. Who is speaking?"_ Someone answered at the other end of the line.

"Hello; I'm Erasa, a friend of Videl's." The teenage girl introduced herself. "May I speak to her please?"

_"I'm sorry; Miss Videl is busy at the moment and asked me not to disturb her on any account."_

"Oh…" Erasa said, disappointed. "Do you know why she didn't come to school today?" She still asked.

_"Miss Videl has decided to adjourn her studies until the Tenkaichi Budokai in order to train."_

She blinked. "Huh?"

_"I'm sorry, I have to hang up. Goodbye."_

Before she could say anything, the line was cut, leaving Erasa completely dumbfounded by what she just heard.

"Well?" Sharpner asked.

"Videl… adjourned her studies." Erasa replied slowly, still registering what she just said.

"Wh… What?" Gohan stammered, barely believing it. Surely Videl wasn't going to risk wasting her studies because of him, was she?

The blonde-haired girl, having finally recovered. "She decided to train for the Tenkaichi Budokai; it's all I know."

"Are you serious? Videl is quitting school?" Sharpner asked, incredulous.

"Yes; it's what the butler told me."

"But… What about me? Who am I going to hit on now? No girl is as great as Videl!" The long-haired boy complained.

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Stop whining, will you? Besides you know very well that Videl will never be interested in you."

"Ha! As if! No girl can resist me!"

The girl shook her head, vexed. This boy's ego was bigger than the planet. His ignorance, too. Seriously, how could he still think that Videl was interested in him after all the times she had rejected him?

Erasa then turned to Gohan; the boy had spent a lot of time with Videl those last weeks, giving her "math lessons" (although she didn't believe it one bit); maybe he knew something about Videl's sudden decision?

When she asked him, he stayed silent – a silence full of meaning. Erasa frowned.

"You know something, then?"

Gohan chose to not answer, knowing that he couldn't lie. It was obvious that Videl decided to adjourn her studies because of him, but telling them what had happened was unthinkable.

"Hey, nerd-boy, she asked you a question!" Sharpner said; he had a bad feeling.

"Sharpner! Don't be so rude!" Erasa reprimanded. "And stop calling Gohan "nerd-boy"; he has a name, in case you forgot."

"I call him like I want. Besides it's not the question. You know something right, nerd-boy?"

"_Stop_ calling him that!" Erasa said, getting worked up.

"Stop bugging me Erasa; I'm trying to get answers here." Sharpner retorted.

"Exactly! If you want Gohan to answer you, you should start by talking to him politely!"

"Ha! As if I was going to talk politely to a mountain-boy!"

"Politeness and you are two different things, that's for sure!"

"That's right! And I have no shame admitting it!"

"You ill-mannered jerk!"

"Yeah yeah, right. Now, nerd-boy, tell us what you kn…" Sharpner interrupted himself; Gohan was nowhere to be seen.

"Nerd-boy?"

* * *

Hiding behind a tree, Gohan let out a sigh of relief. This argument between the two blonde-haired teenagers had come just at the right time, giving him the opportunity to escape.

His thoughts turned to Videl and her sudden decision to adjourn her studies; he never would've thought that she would go this far just so she wouldn't see him again. In any case, it was clear now: Videl didn't want to hear from him ever again. He couldn't blame her.

* * *

In the middle of a dark room, two figures, one significantly shorter than the second, were watching a crystal ball. The shorter of the two creatures was saying kind of incantations, a twisted smile on its hideous face.

"Yes… That's it… Don't fight… Let yourself be invaded by evil…" the short, brown creature was saying. "Good… Now you're mine."

"Master," began the other being, which was much taller than the first. "Are you sure that you will be able to find enough energy on this planet? Earthlings are particularly weak and frail beings; we will get nothing good from them."

"Don't worry about that; I know exactly where to find all the energy I need. And those two Earthlings whom I now have control over will help me."

The short, brown being then went towards an enormous ball that was pulsing in a steady pace. It placed its hand on it and said in a sinister voice:

"Soon… Very soon… You will get out…"

**To Be Continued… **


	24. Chapter 24

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 24**

Gohan heaved a deep sigh. It was only the second day that Videl wasn't coming and already he missed her terribly. Her beautiful blue eyes, her smile, her death glares even; he missed everything about her. Of course, he could always go to her place to see her, but he didn't dare to; he still didn't feel ready to confront her after what he did to her.

The young man finally turned his attention towards the History lesson, trying somehow or other to dispel Videl from his mind. The lesson could be given credit for averting his thoughts from Videl a little; although, from time to time, Gohan couldn't help locating her Ki. He could sense her training, at her home. He could imagine her, persisting to go on, determined to make progress, and it made him smile. Videl really was an uncommon girl.

He then sensed that the young girl was quickly moving away from her home and frowned; he had a feeling that he knew what she was about to do out of the manor. After a few minutes his doubts were confirmed: Videl was fighting crime in the city.

Videl's safety being more important to him than anything else, Gohan asked to go out of the classroom, saying that he wanted to go to the restroom as an excuse. His teacher allowed him to go with a sigh; this student may be the best in the whole school, but he had serious bladder issues.

///

When she arrived, two robbers were loading their jeep with bags full of money they'd just robbed from the bank while two others were strafing the policemen, who were hiding behind their cars. Videl had landed her Jet Copter some distance away and the robbers hadn't noticed her yet, too busy doing what they were doing. It was time to take action.

She discreetly came behind those who were strafing the policemen, deciding to start with them. A quick hit on the neck and the first robber was out cold; this attracted the second one's attention but he didn't have time to react, so he received a punch in the stomach. He collapsed as well.

Two down, two more to go.

The two in question then went towards her. There was a buff-looking man and a skinny guy. The giant-looking man seemed to want a fight with her.

"You're Satan's daughter, right? I bet I can beat you!" He stated arrogantly.

Videl rolled her eyes; it wasn't the first time that a brainless idiot wanted to pit their strength against her, and it always ended in the same way.

"Are you sure you want to fight with her? She knocked Jo and Roy out in just one blow!"

"Pfft, don't compare me with those two weaklings. I know I can beat her; I could even beat her dad!"

"Well are you going to fight or are you going to keep chatting with your boyfriend?" Videl said, already in her fighting stance.

"Don't laugh at me!" The giant-looking man yelled, rushing to the crime fighter. Videl dodged his punch easily and countered with an uppercut to his chin. Her opponent took a few steps back, holding his aching chin. All of his following attacks only met empty air, and he felt groggier and groggier from all the blows he was receiving without being able to do anything to dodge or parry them.

His accomplice, seeing that he was losing, got his gun out. But he barely had time to get it out that he received a hit on his wrist, forcing him to let go of his weapon with a cry of pain.

His cry attracted the attention of the two opponents, and Videl froze when she saw the Great Saiyaman knocking the skinny guy out, knowing perfectly who was hiding behind the superhero disguise. The bulky man, although he was already in a bad state, took advantage of her lack of attention in the fight to attack the girl, giving a powerful punch to her face that threw her a short distance away.

"Videl! You bastard!" Gohan said rushing to the giant-looking man, knocking him out with a punch in his stomach. He then ran to Videl who was getting up and holding her aching cheek, but he stopped dead on his track when he saw the death glare she was throwing at him.

"You're such a pain; I didn't need your help!" She said, getting pissed off. "I was doing perfectly well until you showed up and distracted me!"

"But Videl, he was going to shoot you!" The superhero justified himself.

"So what, you think I'm not used to that sort of situation? I could get by very well without your intervention!"

Gohan frowned. "That's a lie, and you know it. If I hadn't intervened, you would have been killed."

"Oh thank you, my savior." She said sarcastically. "Do you want me to kiss you as well?"

"Well maybe you should, seeing that I just saved your life!"

The two of them realized what they just said and blushed, looking away.

"I… I'm sorry. I'm talking nonsense." Gohan said. He sighed. "I'll get going."

Videl kept looking away as he flew off, probably going back to school. She clenched her fists, feeling her eyes sting.

_You idiot. Why do I love you so much?_

///

A week went by, and Chichi could only watch worryingly and helplessly as Gohan's condition was wearing away. He barely spoke anymore, he didn't smile, he ate only the bare necessities. He had lost his joy of living, even refusing to play with his little brother like he was used to. Nothing seemed to be able to cheer him up, and Chichi despaired to see him like this.

An afternoon, while Gohan was still at school and Goten was playing outside, the mother of two sat before a warm tea, thinking of a way to get Gohan out of his depression.

She didn't want to meddle in her son's love life, but maybe if she went to see Videl and explained to her without saying too much why Gohan left the other night, the girl would understand and would go back to school…

Chichi sighed. Why was Gohan so afraid to tell Videl everything? Did she reject Goku when she knew that he was an alien? She didn't! And his friends didn't either! Why did he think that Videl would reject him? It was ridiculous! It was obvious that she loved him, and when you love, that sort of thing doesn't matter!

_"You're racking your brain, hon."_

Chichi held her breath when she heard that voice she would recognize everywhere. Her heart racing, her eyes filling with tears, she tried, barely believing it:

"Go… Goku?"

In the Other World, his hand placed on King Kai's back, Goku smiled: "Yes, it's me, Chichi."

"Oh Goku… I miss you so much…" Chichi said as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"I miss you too, Chichi. I miss you all." Goku replied sadly. "Even though I can see you all from up there, it's just not the same."

The dark-haired woman wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled slightly. "Is it true, Goku? You were watching us?"

"Always. And I know that Gohan isn't doing well right now."

"Yes… I don't know what to do anymore, Goku."

The Saiya-jin smiled. "I have an idea…"

///

It was during dinner that Chichi announced the big news. Gohan spat the water he was drinking, while little Goten's eyes were shining with hope.

"I'm going to see my daddy?" He asked.

"Are you serious, Mom? Dad is really coming to see us?" Gohan asked in turn, barely daring to believe it.

"If I tell you so." Chichi replied. "I talked to him today, and he told me that he would come tomorrow and would spend twenty-four hours with us."

"To-Tomorrow? Really?" The Son eldest said, still not believing it. His father was going to come. His father, who he hadn't seen in more than seven years, was paying them a visit. It was so unexpected.

"Yes, tomorrow." Chichi confirmed. "Since it's a Saturday, you won't have to miss school to spend the day with him. Oh, I'm so happy! I'll finally see him after all those years! And Goten will finally be able to meet him! Aren't you happy, honey?" She then asked her youngest son. "You're going to meet your daddy!"

Goten nodded his head briskly, a big grin plastered on his face. He was looking forward to meeting his father whom he was told so much about.

///

Videl soared around the training room, laughing as she did so. Finally, _finally_ she could fly. After all those days spent in this training room, she could finally fly properly.

Wanting to make the most of it, the girl got out of the room through a window and flew off in the night. It was so much better than flying inside! She felt revived!

The night was hers!

///

The sun was just rising, but Gohan was already awake. He'd spent the night thinking and, in the end, he didn't get much sleep. The Son boy was happy to see his father again, of course, but he didn't really understand why he was coming to see them after all those years. Could it be for him? Could it be that Goku knew what he was going through now and so decided to come and cheer him up? If that was the case, Gohan hoped that he wouldn't ask him to talk about Videl; he really didn't have the heart for it.

And yet, he just couldn't get that girl out of his mind, and he missed her terribly. He would do anything just to see her smile again, to hear her laugh once again, to be able to hold her in his arms, to kiss her…

Gohan sighed. It wasn't going to happen anytime soon…

///

"When's my daddy coming?" Goten asked excitedly, while his mother was making breakfast.

"It shouldn't be long now." Chichi replied stiffening a yawn. She had been so excited that night to see her husband again after all those years that she hadn't slept much. And of course, her youngest son had come to wake her up at dawn, as if it was Christmas morning.

As for Gohan, he was able to escape the Goten alarm clock seeing that he'd already been up when his little brother had wanted to wake him up. Goten, at first disappointed to find his big brother's bed empty, wasn't discouraged for all that and rushed to his mother's bedroom. Although she didn't particularly appreciate her alarm clock, Chichi didn't have the heart for scolding her son. Not today.

Because today was a very special day for the small family: Son Goku, the greatest hero Earth never came across, but also the father and husband, was coming back for twenty four hours which he would spend with his family.

Chichi had, of course, let the whole gang know about Goku's arrival, but she had asked them not to come as soon as he would arrive to allow them some family time. They had all understood and agreed – except Vegeta who absolutely wanted to fight his great rival; thankfully, Bulma could be very _persuasive_.

The table was now filled with a real feast; the Son family was anxiously waiting, before this full table, the arrival of their missing member.

"How come my daddy's not here yet?" Goten asked in a small voice. "Is he really coming?"

"Of course he's coming honey." His mother replied confidently. Goku told her he would be here for breakfast and her husband was always true to his word.

It was then that the two boys sensed a powerful and familiar energy; although Goten never sensed it until now, he felt as if he knew this energy. As for Gohan, he had recognized it right away: it was his father's.

The front door opened and, for the first time in seven years, he heard that happy, warm voice.

"Ah! It's so good to be home!"

"Goku!" Chichi exclaimed rushing to the living room. She stopped when she saw him, tearing up. He hadn't changed; he was still just as handsome, with the same innocent, honest smile.

He approached her and held her in his arms, burying his face in her neck. God he'd missed her so much…

The brothers were standing at the door; the eldest was smiling at the scene, glad to see his parents finally reunited, while the youngest was hiding behind his brother's leg, feeling shy all of sudden.

Goku pulled back from his wife and smiled at her, wiping her tears with his thumb. Then he turned his gaze towards the young man and the little boy at the door of the living room. His sons.

"Are you my daddy?" The little boy asked shyly.

The man smiled. "Yes, I'm your daddy, Goten."

The Son youngest then grinned widely and jumped in his father's arms while exclaiming: "Daddy!"

Goku laughed, throwing his son in the air and catching him. Then he placed him on his shoulder and turned his attention towards his eldest son. He smiled.

"You grew up so much, Gohan; I wouldn't have recognized you."

Gohan grinned. "You, however, you haven't changed at all, Dad."

**To Be Continued…**


	25. Chapter 25

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 25**

Unlike usual, where her boys' lack of manners irritated her greatly, Chichi was smiling as she watched her husband and sons wolfing down like only a Saiya-jin could. Even if they were making a mess, no longer using cutlery; nothing could ruin her good mood.

After all, how could she not be in a good mood when her husband was back for a day, her youngest son had finally been able to meet him and, above all, her eldest was smiling again?

Goku had always had this natural gift to cheer up the people around him; his sole presence was enough, and the return of Gohan's appetite was proving it.

Chichi was filled with joy: today was looking to be wonderful. And she had every intention to make sure that nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to ruin it.

Unfortunately, destiny had other plans…

oOoOoOo

On a very, very far planet, two beings were watching a crystal ball with a solemn expression.

"It won't be long until they take action, I can feel it." The younger-looking one said. "We have to stop them at all cost."

The other one widened his eyes. "Surely you don't think about…"

"I do, Kibito. We're going down to Earth."

oOoOoOo

After having watched his son's condition wearing away when he had been in the Other World, Goku was glad to see Gohan smiling again. Seeing him so depressed, from up there, and being able to do nothing to sort things out, the father he was had felt completely helpless and useless, and he had hated that feeling. That was what had urged him to come back, even if it was only for a day. At least, he had been able to cheer up his eldest son, and it was all that mattered.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look what I found! He's cute isn't he?"

Goku turned to his youngest son, who he had just met. Goten was like a younger version of himself; he was just like him, as much by his nature than by his looks. And he was so adorable.

The man then noticed the big toad that his youngest son was holding, a big grin on his face. Goku chuckled.

"Is that your new friend?"

"Yep! I called him Mr. Toad!" Goten replied happily. "Can I keep him?" He then asked.

"I don't know if your mother will agree, son; you know how she hates that kind of animals." Goku said. Seeing his son's sad face because he couldn't keep his new friend, he resumed: "And anyway, I'm sure that Mr. Toad would rather stay in the nature than in a house; don't you think?"

Goten sighed, resigning himself to let his toad go. "Yes, you're right."

"But nothing keeps you from playing with him as long as we're outside." Goku added with a wink. This made Goten smile again, and the Son youngest went a little distance away to play with Mr. Toad.

Goku watched him play, smiling. They had decided to spend the day outside, making the most of the fine weather, and the Saiya-jin didn't regret it. His wife had settled herself on a blanket which she had placed on the grass, probably so her clothes wouldn't get dirty; she was watching Goten who was having fun imitating his toad friend, and she couldn't help laughing at the scene.

Goku settled himself next to her, and Chichi smiled.

"He's just like you." She said, talking about their youngest son. Her husband chuckled.

"I know." He replied simply, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. She laid her head on his shoulder, sighing in content.

"Where's Gohan?" Goku asked after a few seconds of silence.

"He was a bit hungry so he went to pick some fruits." Chichi explained.

Right on cue, as she was speaking, her son got out of the underbrush, a lot of apples in his arms. He stopped a few moments to look at his little brother who was doing the toad, blinking. Then he chuckled while shaking his head and went towards his parents.

Gohan placed his apples on the blanket and then sat on it; next, he took one from the pile and began to eat, inviting his parents to do the same. Goku didn't need to be told twice and took an apple in turn, biting a bit of it with enthusiasm.

"Ah… There's no doubt about it: the food on Earth is much better than in the Other World!" he commented happily.

"Really?" Gohan asked, his mouth full. A look from his mother and he swallowed what was in his mouth before apologizing.

Goku grinned; his wife hadn't changed at all. And that was why he loved her.

"Well, since you don't need to eat once you're dead, making good food isn't a priority in the Other World." The Saiya-jin replied. "I got used to it, but it's still very nice to eat goo–"

He was cut off by Chichi who, always keeping an eye on Goten who was playing a short distance away, saw him rolling on the grass.

"Goten! I told you a thousand times not to roll on the grass!" The mother of two scolded; she stood up and went towards her youngest son who strengthened himself instantly.

"Look at you, you're all dirty now! Now, that was clever!" She said while dusting him.

"Sorry Mommy." The little boy said in a small voice. His mother softened; after all, it was only a little of dirt, and this day was too special to be ruined by such details.

"Come on," She said in a softer voice. "Let's go and clean you up."

Goten nodded his head. He got up to follow his mother but stopped abruptly.

"Just a second!" He told her. The Son youngest then grabbed the toad which had started to get away and ran to his brother and father.

"Can you watch Mr. Toad while Mommy cleans me up?"

The two men chuckled. "Yes, of course." Gohan replied as he took the toad from his little brother's hands.

"Thanks!"

With that, the little boy went to join his mother and the both of them went to their home, leaving Goku and Gohan alone with Mr. Toad.

The demi Saiya-jin looked at the animal in his hands; he remained still and croaked from time to time. Gohan smiled; at least he wasn't trying to escape.

"It's nice to see you smile again." Goku commented.

The young man kept staring at the toad, staying silent. He figured that his father knew what he was going through now; after all, if Goku knew the existence of his youngest son, it meant that he'd been watching over them from up there.

"It's true that… I haven't been very joyful lately." He ended up saying.

"Would you mind telling me about… her?" Goku asked carefully. He knew that it wasn't an easy subject for his son.

Gohan shook his head; he had no reason to hide the truth from his father.

But as he was about to speak, the demi Saiya-jin sensed Videl's Ki rise suddenly, just before dropping considerably. Alarmed, Gohan stood up quickly, under his father's surprised gaze.

"Sorry Dad, but I have to go. Videl's in trouble."

With that said, the young superhero entrusted his father with the toad and took off, flying as fast as he could towards Videl's Ki which was abnormally low. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to arrive to his destination fast enough in his current speed, Gohan turned Super Saiya-jin and soared at full speed.

_It's not enough._ He thought; he was still a good ten minutes away from Satan City, and the young girl's Ki was still dropping.

Not seeing any other solution, the demi Saiya-jin concentrated, teeth and fists tightly clenched, while he was still flying. With a yell, he went up to the next level of his transformation, increasing his strength – and thus, his speed – colossally.

The young warrior, so focused on the Ki of the girl he loved, didn't even notice his father's Ki that was following him as best he could.

oOoOoOo

Videl was suffocating. The building was on fire and she was buried under pieces of the ceiling that had fallen upon her. She felt so stupid for having gotten herself stuck like this: she should have been more careful!

To think she had gotten inside the building on fire to save someone who was still inside; now she was going to die choking, buried under a pile of cement. She could only hope that the person she had come to rescue had managed to get by.

The young crime fighter had more and more trouble to breathe. And as she struggled to stay conscious, her mind drifted towards a certain spiky-haired boy. She regretted so much that she didn't confess her feelings for him. Even if he didn't share her feelings, she would have liked him to

know how much she loved him at least.

But now, it was too late.

It was the end. She could feel herself go towards unconsciousness, no longer having the strength to struggle.

But as everything seemed done for; as she had lost all hope, Videl felt the weight lift from her. A golden light blinded her for a moment, then she made out a form that was getting the remaining cement off of her.

The young girl then felt arms wrapping around her while her savior carried her against him. A familiar feeling invaded her and she smiled, feeling safe in those powerful arms.

And then, the moment after, the sunlight was blinding her: she was out of the building, still in the arms of the man who just saved her. Videl then looked up to see his face, expecting to meet Gohan's dark gaze. Instead, she met teal eyes under golden hair.

"Go… Gohan? It… It's you? But… how…?" She trailed off, at loss for words before this appearance.

The young warrior froze. Could he tell her everything, right here and now? Was it the right time? Would she reject him once she knew? Could he take such a risk?

While all those questions boggled his mind, two men, the letter "M" tattooed on their foreheads, were waiting in the dark the time to take action. And when they saw the Super Saiya-jin freeze suddenly, they took their chance and rushed to him.

Gohan realized their presence too late, and he only had time to push Videl out of the danger that one of the men seized him while the other one stung his stomach with a strange machine. He tried to break free but felt his strength leave him; he lost his Super Saiya-jin transformation, his hair and eyes taking their usual jet-black color.

"GOHAN!"

Videl, whom Gohan had pushed some distance away, rushed to the bulky man who was holding the man she loved. She was pushed away as if she was a mere fly; this didn't discourage her for all that and she rushed to him again. It resulted in the same way.

oOoOoOo

Goku, who still didn't catch up to his son, having only turned into a simple Super Saiya-jin, suddenly sensed Gohan's Ki drop very fast. Alarmed, he went up to the next level of his transformation, increasing his speed like his son did earlier.

_Please, don't let me be too late._ He prayed silently.

oOoOoOo

When they arrived where they had sensed an incredible power, the young Earthling who gave it off was having his energy stolen by those two men with tattooed foreheads.

"What should we do?" asked the being with pink skin.

"We can do nothing for him for the time being," replied the one with purple skin. "But as soon as they leave, I will pursue them and you will heal the Earthling. His father is coming as well; you will join me and will ask them to follow you. Their help will be very precious."

oOoOoOo

Videl was getting hopeless. None of her attacks affected those two men, and she was losing her energy fast, especially since she wasn't at her full strength after her stay under the rubbles of the building in fire. From the ground, she looked up, feeling her eyes sting while Gohan, as white as a sheet, had his mouth open in a silent scream.

"We're done; the absorber is full," said the man who had stung Gohan with his strange machine. His acolyte nodded and let go of the young man who collapsed, drained of his energy. Videl rushed to him while the two guys flew off; she didn't care about them. Gohan was all that mattered.

Holding back tears, she knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his neck, feeling for his pulse. It was very weak, but it was there. Relieved, she was aware however that it was not over.

"Hold out Gohan. I'm going to call an ambulance and you'll get back on your feet in no time." She said while getting her cell phone out.

"That won't be necessary."

Videl looked up to see a man with pink skin, white, long hair, and wearing uncommon clothes. He then kneeled down in turn and placed his hands on Gohan's back.

"Hey! What are you doing? Who are you, for that matter?" She asked.

"I don't have time to explain." The unknown man said as his hands began glowing.

"Wha…?" Videl could only watch as color was returning to Gohan's face. After a few moments, the young man opened his eyes while the unknown man withdrew his hands.

Gohan straightened up and looked at his hands in astonishment. He had been about to die; he was sure of it. How come he had recovered all of his strength?

"Gohan!"

The young warrior blinked and looked down, seeing Videl who was clinging on him as if her life depended on it.

"I was so scared…" She confessed in a whisper. "I thought I was going to lose you."

The young man's heart warmed up: she still cared for him. This thought reassured him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him.

They then heard a cough, and looked up to see the man who had healed Gohan.

"Sorry for interrupting, but something serious is going on, and we are short on time." He stated.

"But… who are you?" asked the teenage boy as he and Videl stood up.

"You will know if you follow me."

With that, the unknown man flew off, leaving the two dark-haired teens in mystery. It was then that Gohan finally noticed his father's energy that was very close. How could he miss such an incredible power?

"What on Earth happened?" Goku asked as he landed, taking his normal form again.

"That's what I would like to know, too."

All turned towards the voice that just spoke. Vegeta, who had sensed the sudden drop in Gohan's Ki, told himself that there might finally be some action after all those years of boredom.

"Oh, Vegeta; it's been awhile." Goku said.

An almost imperceptible smile formed on the Prince's lips; his great rival was back, and he had every intention to take advantage of it once this case was straightened out.

"Well, brat, tell us what's going on." Vegeta said. Videl scowled; he was still the same uncivilized jerk.

Gohan then told them about what had happened; he also said that he didn't know more about it, that it seemed that the man who had healed him knew what was going on and that he was planning on following him to know what this was all about.

"If you're going, then I'm going too." Goku declared.

"I'm following you, Kakarot. We'll be able to fight right after this case is sorted out that way." Vegeta said.

Goku smiled, he was impatient to fight his rival of all times too.

"I'm going too."

The three Saiya-jin turned to Videl who just spoke. Gohan frowned.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Videl." He said. "I can feel that it's going to be very dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt, or worse."

"I don't want to be left aside, so I'm going." The crime fighter stated. "I'll go whether you like it or not, Gohan."

"Videl, look…"

"Let her do as she wishes, brat; she won't be able to follow us anyway." Vegeta said.

"That's what you think." The girl said proudly. She then began levitating, and flew off in the direction that took the man with pink skin.

Gohan's jaw dropped; he couldn't believe what he just saw. Videl had learned how to fly by herself, without his help. She was even more talented than what he had thought.

Vegeta shrugged and flew off in turn. Goku then began levitating as well.

"Come on, let's go, son." He said.

Gohan shook his head to clear his mind, then, with his father, he flew off following Videl and the Prince.

**To Be Continued…**


	26. Chapter 26

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 26**

Why, oh why couldn't the Earth stay in peace more than a few years? First the Demon King Piccolo, then the Saiya-jins, Frieza, the androids, Cell… And now, an evil wizard was threatening the planet with his overpowered monster, Majin Buu.

Really, it was as if the Earth was cursed.

Gohan sighed. Today should have been a wonderful day; he should've spent it with his now complete family, now that his father came to visit after seven years of absence. Now they were going to have to fight and risk their lives in order to save the planet and its inhabitants.

Piccolo had joined them in their chase, having also sensed what had happened with Gohan. He had been more than surprised to learn who the two white-haired men were, especially the younger-looking one.

"The… The Supreme Kai?" he had exclaimed, not believing his ears. What was a being such as the Supreme Kai doing on Earth?

They had to explain everything again to Piccolo: Babidi, the son of Majin Buu's creator, intended to get the demon out of his cocoon with the energy than the two men with tattooed foreheads stole from Gohan. They absolutely had to stop Majin Buu's resurrection, otherwise the Earth and the rest of the universe would be in grave danger.

Piccolo nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. Then his eyes landed on the young girl who was flying with them as best she could, and he furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows.

"Gohan, why is your friend here?" He asked his former pupil. Gohan frowned in turn.

"I told her not to come, but she wouldn't listen to me." He replied.

"It's too dangerous for her. Plus, she's slowing us down." Piccolo said, clearly showing his disapproval.

Videl narrowed her eyes as she looked at Piccolo and Gohan who were talking about her as if she wasn't even here, feeling anger rising. How dared they?

"They are right, you know." Supreme Kai told her. She turned her head sharply towards him, her eyes still narrowed.

"I'm not a kid anymore! I can take care of myself!" She said, getting worked up.

"But against them, you won't stand a chance. Your attacks didn't even affect the two henchmen Babidi sent, and compared to Majin Buu, those two were nothing. I'm saying this for you; I don't want to risk innocent lives."

Videl clenched her fists. She knew that he was right, but she refused to admit it. It would be like admitting that she was too weak, that she was useless. And that would never happen.

"Could you guys go ahead?" Gohan then asked the group. "I'd like to speak with Videl."

The others nodded, speeding up in order to leave the two teenagers alone. Seeing their real speed, Videl realized that Piccolo had been right: she was really slowing them down.

"Look, Videl," Gohan began. "I understand that you don't want to be left aside – believe me, I'd been in your position countless times –, but it's really too dangerous, and I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you when I'll be fighting."

Silence followed. They had stopped advancing and were now floating above the ocean. Videl had her head lowered, her fists clenched. She didn't want him to go fighting. What if he didn't come back? No, she couldn't allow it to happen; she had to follow him, the danger she would experience didn't matter.

With a new determination, she looked up at him right in the eyes.

"You won't leave without me. I will hang on you if I have to." She said stubbornly.

"If you come, I won't be able to focus on fighting because I'll be too worried about you." Gohan retorted. "Please Videl, I need to have a mind at ease so I can fight with everything I have."

"What if you don't come back?" She said back, her eyes shining with tears she refused to let out. "You can't even promise me that you will be back; you don't know it yourself. Am I wrong?"

"No, it's true: I don't know if I will be back." He replied, his face serious.

"And you expect me to stay aside while knowing this? That's out of question! I'm coming and you can't stop me!"

Gohan scratched his hair, searching for a way to convince this stubborn girl not to come. Sure, he could always fly away at full speed so that she wouldn't be able to follow him, but he didn't want to go and leave her furious against him. After all, it may be the last time that they were seeing each other.

His heart clenched at that thought. If it really was the last time that he was seeing her then… then he couldn't leave without telling her how much he loved her. She had to know.

He embraced her, taking her by surprise. Although the girl did not really understand what had come over him suddenly, she hugged him back, feeling so safe in his arms…

"Please, Videl…" He whispered. "Go to Capsule Corp and tell Bulma what's going on."

She looked up at him, tears filling up her eyes at the idea of losing him.

"But Gohan… If you didn't come back I…"

"Don't worry." He said, stroking her cheek. "There's a way for me to come back, even if I don't get by."

"Gohan, that's impossible…"

He smiled. "Go to Capsule Corp and talk to Bulma; she'll explain everything."

"But…"

He kissed her, hushing her protestations. Videl wanted to resist, but she felt herself melt, and all of her questions vanished instantly as she kissed him back. It felt so good, and they'd missed it so much… They didn't want to stop. However, after some time, they started to lack air and had to break the kiss, though reluctantly. Keeping their eyes closed, still in each other's arms, they were catching their breath.

"I don't want you to risk your life, Videl. I… I love you too much to lose you."

She looked at him with widened eyes, feeling her heart race in her chest. "What… What did you say?"

He smiled at her, glad to finally be able to tell her. "I love you, Videl."

Her reaction to his declaration surprised him: she pulled apart from him.

"Why… are you telling me this now?" She asked, tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to answer but she beat him to it:

"It's because you know that you're not coming back, don't you? So it was a lie; there isn't a way for you to come back, and you are telling me this now because you know that you're going to die!"

"Videl…"

"No! I don't want to hear it! Not like this, not like a last goodbye! You can't die, Gohan!"

And she flew away, not wanting him to see her cry. Gohan wanted to go after her, but he wasn't sure it would sort things out. He sensed that she was going towards Capsule Corp, and it reassured him, knowing that she would be safe in there. He then decided to join the others who were still chasing Babidi's two henchmen.

oOoOoOo

No, it wasn't the last time that she was seeing him. She couldn't believe it. She refused to. Gohan was going to get by; there was no way around it. She couldn't even think about losing him.

_"I love you, Videl."_

No, no, NO! It wasn't a last goodbye! She would see him again, she just had to wait for him.

_"I love you, Videl."_

She sobbed. If he'd told her this, then it meant that he didn't believe himself that he would be back; what were the chances for him to survive then?

Videl shook her head sharply, speeding up as she kept flying towards Capsule Corp. Gohan was going to get by, there was no other way around it.

oOoOoOo

Bulma was fixing one of the many robots her husband had destroyed during his training sessions when Trunks turned up in her lab, looking panicked:

"Mom, it's bad!" He said agitated. "Dad's disappeared! He's nowhere in the house!"

The female scientist removed her protective glasses and raised her eyebrows. Vegeta never left his Gravity Room, except when he needed to eat or sleep, or the rare times he spends with his family.

"Can't you sense where he is?" She then asked her son.

"No, I can't sense him." He replied.

"He must be concealing his Ki." Bulma concluded. Then she frowned. "For all I know, he went to fight Goku on the quiet…"

Trunks blinked. "Who?"

The blue-haired scientist was going to answer but she was interrupted by a floating robot that entered the lab, informing her that someone called Satan Videl wished to get inside the propriety.

Bulma raised her eyebrows. Videl was here? That was unexpected.

"Let her in. I'll see her in the main living room." She then told the robot.

"Yes ma'am."

oOoOoOo

Videl was waiting for Bulma in the main living room of Capsule Corp. The young girl had been able to calm her crying on the way and she hoped that Bulma won't ask her about her probably red eyes.

She sighed. _I'm tired of crying all the time_, she thought. _This is all Gohan's fault._

_"I love you, Videl."_

Her eyes stung as she replayed that scene in her head for the umpteenth time. Gohan had kissed her, and then he'd told her that he loved her. She would have been overjoyed if only he hadn't done this because he thought he wouldn't see her again.

_You're wrong, Gohan, _she thought with conviction._ You will live, and then… Then, we can be together._

The girl was brought out of her thoughts when the Briefs heiress arrived. Bulma immediately noticed that something was wrong as she greeted Videl.

"Did something happen?" She asked worriedly.

Videl nodded. She then told her about everything that had happened and about the threat that hovered on the universe, like Gohan had asked her to.

"Gohan said… that there was a way to bring them back if they don't make it. Is it true?" She then asked, although she doubted she would get a positive answer. After all, how could such a thing be possible?

"He must've been talking about the Dragonballs." Bulma replied naturally. Before the surprised look Videl was giving her, she explained: "They are seven magic balls that, once reunited, allow to summon the Eternal Dragon who has the power to grant two wishes, no matter what they are. Even bring dead people back to life."

"And… those balls actually exist?" Videl asked, barely believing it.

Bulma smiled slightly. "How do you think the people Cell killed "miraculously" came back to life?"

Videl's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yes. It was thanks to the Dragonballs." The female scientist confirmed. "So don't worry Videl, Gohan will be back no matter what."

It was as if a huge weight was just removed from her heart. It hadn't been the last time they saw each other. And, Videl decided, it won't be the last time that they would kiss.

And the next time they would see each other – because there will be a next time – she would finally tell him.

_I love you._

oOoOoOo

Vegeta was getting impatient. Gohan was taking way too much time to get rid of Dabura; and for that matter, his rival's son didn't even seem to have the upper hand in his fight. At the rate things were going, he would never have the time to fight against Kakarotto!

When they had seen Babidi's henchmen land, they had landed in turn on a big boulder and stayed hidden. They had then watched, seeing a very ugly, brown being and a second one who was much taller and looked like a demon, the two of them getting out a spaceship that was apparently buried under the ground. From what the Supreme Kai told them, the short one was Babidi and the tall one Dabura, the Lord of the Demons. Shin and Kibito seemed to believe that they wouldn't be able to defeat Dabura; with the Prince of all Saiya-jins here, they should know better. Vegeta didn't doubt his abilities in the least; Gohan's, however, that was another story.

The Saiya-jin scowled as the brat received a blow that sent him crash on boulders.

"I saw enough of this." He said irritated. "I'll take care of that guy myself."

"Vegeta, no." Goku protested. "It's Gohan's fight, you can't interfere."

"I don't give a damn! Your brat is too rusty; he will never be able to beat him at this rate! And we don't have time to waste! You can only stay one day on Earth and if we don't sort this out until then, I would never have the opportunity to fight you again!"

Dabura watched the scene with a devious smirk. Obviously, this one was not fighting for justice; and besides, his heart was far from being pure. They will be able to use him.

The demon then interrupted his fight and asked his master by telepathy to bring them back to the spaceship so that he could tell him about his discovery.

The scenery changed and Dabura went towards the exit.

"Hey, where are you going? You're running away?" Gohan said.

The demon looked at him over his shoulder and smirked evil. "Run away? Of course not. I don't need to fight anymore; I found you a better enemy."

oOoOoOo

Trunks didn't understand what was going on. He could sense his father's Ki very clearly now. His power was incredible, but something was not right. The energy his father gave off was different, it was… evil. And it wasn't normal. Sure, his father wasn't the kindest man around, but Trunks had never sensed such evil and hatred in his father's Ki.

It was then that the program on the TV, which he'd been watching absentmindedly, changed for a special flash of news. A young woman was on the screen in a city that seemed to be bombarded from everywhere.

"Four men appeared out of nowhere in North City." The reporter said. "One of them then began to bombard the city with some kind of blasts that was coming from his hands!"

Trunks widened his eyes as the camera filmed the scene. He had no trouble recognizing who was bombarding the city.

"D… Dad?"

**To Be Continued…**


	27. Chapter 27

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 27**

Goten was confused. He could sense his and Trunks' fathers fighting right now. The power they were giving off was incredible; he'd never sensed anything like this before. But why did he sense such anger and hatred emanating from Vegeta's Ki? His energy wasn't even like usual, for that matter… It was so evil that the little boy shuddered in fear.

"It's been a while since Goku and Gohan left… I wonder where they went." Chichi spoke to herself out loud.

Goten stayed silent, being careful not to tell his mother what he knew. He didn't like hiding the truth from her, but if she knew what was going on right now, she would never let him go out…

"Can I go play outside?" He asked, grimacing slightly at his lie.

His mother nodded distracted, and the little boy quickly exited the house, flying off as fast as he could towards his brother's Ki. He preferred to avoid going near the fight between his father and Vegeta. Gohan wasn't with them now. Goten wondered how they did to go from one place to another in a second, for that matter.

He then noticed that Trunks' Ki was going towards the same destination, and he felt more reassured. At least he wouldn't be alone.

oOoOoOo

Bulma had asked her if she wanted to wash up, and Videl had nodded shyly. After having spent a good while under the rubbles of a building on fire and tried unsuccessfully to save Gohan from Babidi's henchmen, the girl was very grateful to Bulma for letting her use the bathroom.

In the shower, Videl was thinking back at what Shin and Kibito had told them about Majin Buu, and she couldn't help feeling worried for Gohan and the others, who were probably fighting right this moment. What if Majin Buu's revival was unavoidable? What if the monster was too strong for them, like Shin seemed to think? If no one was able to defeat Majin Buu, what use would the Dragonballs be, if they were to get killed again?

Her mind was full of doubts and worries. Videl exited the shower and took a towel to dry herself with. She then looked at the clothes had Bulma left for her, since hers were in a poor state. It was a simple blue shirt and white cropped trousers. Videl was relieved that the rich heiress didn't give her clothes that were too "girly"; she wouldn't have felt comfortable otherwise.

Clothed and hair-done, the girl exited the bathroom. A robot was waiting at the door; it told her to follow and began to move away. Videl didn't need to be told twice, not wanting to get lost in those endless corridors.

The robot brought her to the main living room and then it left. Bulma was still in there, only now she had her eyes riveted on the TV, a worried expression on her face. Intrigued, Videl approached and watched the screen in turn. She noted that the Capsule Corp President was captivated by the news station.

"The four unknown men disappeared just as they had appeared, leaving a part of North City in rubbles." The reporter was saying. "We are still unable to determine the number of the victims, nor the identity of the man responsible of this carnage. Zoom in pictures taken by travelers as well as numerous accounts from survivors allowed the police to establish an identikit of the main suspect and of his accomplices; if you were to recognize him, please contact the emergency number which is displayed at the bottom of your screen…"

Instead of images of the destroyed city, a picture of the suspect in question was shown, and Videl widened her eyes.

"But… that's…"

No, there weren't any possible doubts; it was indeed Vegeta on the screen, his hair golden, a sadistic smirk on his lips while he fired Ki-blasts all over the city, and the same tattoo on his forehead that Babidi's henchmen had.

What on Earth had happened?

"Vegeta… why?" Bulma whispered. Videl turned to see her and noted that her eyes were shining with tears.

oOoOoOo

They all had sensed it, from every side of the world. This incredible, evil power that had just appeared on their planet. And then, it suddenly increased, reaching an unthinkable, matchless level. They had never felt anything like this before.

Since the sudden drop of Gohan's Ki, a few hours ago now, they had had a bad feeling about it. Next, they had all, no matter where they were, perceived Vegeta's evil aura, and those who had their TV on were able to see the damages the Prince had done.

And now that they sensed this powerful and evil power on the loose, they all had the same thought: make sure their loved ones were in a safe place.

And what safer place than Dende's Lookout?

oOoOoOo

Buu was too powerful. The monster got rid of him ridiculously easily and effortless. Lying somewhere in the woods, Gohan could feel himself go, but he fought with all his might not to fall into unconsciousness.

He had to hold on. He could not die – _not like this, not now._ He still had so many things to do, so many thing to experience… taking care of his brother, helping his mother, going to school…

Seeing Videl again.

The young warrior felt a pang in his heart as he thought back at the way they had parted. Even though she had tried to hide it, Gohan had seen well that she left in tears.

Videl had cried. Because of him.

He felt so pathetic. He said he loved her, yet all he seemed to be able to do was hurting her. At the rate things were going, he was going to make her cry again…

No, he could not think like that. He was not going to die; now was not the time. He was going to live; someone was bound to find him.

He could only pray that it wouldn't be too late…

oOoOoOo

Yamcha landed in front of the enormous Capsule Corporation manor and rushed right inside, without even ringing the bell; something much too serious was going on right now, so there was no time to waste with formalities. Guided by his senses, he burst into one of the many living rooms in the Capsule Corp building, drawing the attention of the two women who were in there.

"Yamcha?" The Briefs heiress said surprised. She had had the time to get over her initial shock, with Videl's help, although she still felt confused and hurt by what Vegeta had done. But the girl had noticed the tattoo that the warrior wore on his forehead – the very same "M" that Babidi's henchmen wore on theirs. The Supreme Kai told them that it was the sign that Babidi had possessed them, which means that the wizard must have found a way to possess Vegeta. And that could explain what had happened.

"We have to hurry." Yamcha said. "The Earth is in danger, and we have to get you to a safe place as quickly as possible."

Fear and worry suddenly rose in Videl. Could it be that Majin Buu managed to get out of his cocoon?

"How… How can you know of the danger?" She then asked, dreading the answer.

His face serious, Yamcha replied: "I sense a huge and evil power; I've never felt anything like this before."

The two women looked at each other in worry, knowing what that meant. Majin Buu was really on the loose.

"You're taking us to Dende, then?" Bulma guessed, aware that it was the safest place in the world.

"Yes, and we have no time to waste." The former bandit declared.

"I'm going to go and get Trunks and my parents; I'll be right back." The rich heiress said as she hurriedly exited the living room. She got back a few minutes later, panicked. "Trunks is nowhere to be found!"

"Are you sure?" Yamcha asked, trying to calm her down. "This house is big, he could be anywhere."

"No, I'm sure of it!" Bulma nearly yelled, more and more panicked. "I created a detector of presence some time ago, and I can't find Trunks anywhere in the house!"

"Calm down, Bulma." Videl then said, trying to reassure the female President in turn. "Yamcha can sense Ki's, right? He should be able to look for Trunks, shouldn't he?"

"Yes, don't worry Bulma, I'm going to find Trunks in no time." Yamcha assured while he already concentrated to find his friend's son. It wasn't very easy, especially with this huge power that towered all over the others. And it wasn't alone now, he noticed; another power which was familiar to him was fighting it. Yamcha frowned as he recognized Vegeta's energy. Then he noticed a few Ki's not far from the battle. He could sense one that he did not recognize, together with Piccolo, Goten and Trunks.

What on Earth were they all doing so close to the danger?

"What, what's it, Yamcha? Is something going on?" Bulma asked worriedly seeing the serious expression on her ex-boyfriend's face. Yamcha hesitated telling her where Trunks was right now, knowing very well that it would only worry her more.

But he couldn't hide from her that he knew where her son was, either.

"Yamcha, tell me what's going on!" Bulma demanded, more and more worried.

He sighed, resigning himself in telling her what he knew.

"Trunks is with Goten and Piccolo, as well as someone I don't recognize, and they are…" He trailed off as he still hesitated.

"Where are they, Yamcha?" Bulma asked, her brows furrowed. She had a very bad feeling about it.

"They are close to the one who is giving off this new evil power." The former baseball star ended up saying, before adding: "But they aren't fighting, don't worry."

Seeing the angry eyes of his ex-girlfriend directed at him, Yamcha figured he said something wrong, whatever it was.

"How can you tell me not to worry when my son is close to an overpowered monster?"

Oh, so that was it. Really, he wasn't very good in that kind of situations. One could have thought that with all the difficult times they had to go through, he wouldn't be so clumsy.

"Look, Bulma, we have to get in a safe place. I'm sure that Trunks is going to be alright; he's your son, after all, and he's smart enough not to strike at a monster that is obviously stronger than him. Moreover, Piccolo is with them, and we can count on him to look after the boys."

Although she was still very worried for her son, Bulma admitted that Yamcha was right. The Briefs heiress then went to get her parents, but they refused to accompany them to Dende's Lookout, saying that they didn't want to leave their animals and that, in any case, there were the Dragonballs if something should go wrong.

Reluctantly, Bulma agreed to leave without her parents. With the fastest Jet of her company, Yamcha, Videl and herself were on their way towards Dende's Lookout…

oOoOoOo

In all of his young life, Trunks had never seen a battle displaying such power. His training sessions with his father were really nothing compared to what he was witnessing.

_Dad is really unbelievable,_ the little boy thought as he admiringly watched his father face this monster named Majin Buu.

As for Piccolo, he could see well that, despite appearances, this was a fight Vegeta could not win. Because, unlike Buu, the Prince did not have endless reserves of energy, and it wouldn't be long before he would be lacking it…

"There is no hope for the universe then…"

The two children turned to the pink-skinned man who just spoke. When they had first arrived here, Trunks and Goten had found stone statues of Piccolo and of this man – whom they later learned was named Kibito. Trunks had made the statue of Piccolo fall, for that matter, and it broke to pieces. Not paying much attention to this accident, the two boys then turned towards the action that was taking place not far from them. A fat, pink man was fighting with some kind of demon and had ended up turning the demon into a giant cookie before eating it. Right after, Kibito and Piccolo had taken their normal appearance, and thanks to Piccolo's regenerating abilities, Trunks' accident could be fixed.

Vegeta appeared soon after, and the battle had begun.

"What are you talking about, Mr. Kibito?" Goten asked confused by what the white-haired man had said. "Mr. Vegeta is going to beat this mean monster!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Trunks added. "My dad's going to tear this pink guy to pieces!"

Kibito stayed silent, not having the courage to break the hopes of these children. But they would realize the unavoidable outcome of this fight soon enough; Vegeta had no chance against Majin Buu.

He had to find the Supreme Kai.

oOoOoOo

Videl couldn't hold it any longer. She had to ask. She was too worried for Gohan; she had to know if he was alright. She preferred to stay silent at first, not sure she wanted to know. Now, the worry was just too great: she had to know.

"Yamcha?" She called as the scar-faced man piloted the Jet towards Dende's Lookout.

"Yes, Videl?" He replied without taking his eyes off of the sky in front of him.

She only hesitated for a second before asking: "Could you look for Gohan's Ki, please?"

If the situation was any different, Yamcha would have teased the girl, who was obviously in love with their little Gohan. But it really wasn't the time, so he just nodded and looked for the demi Saiya-jin's Ki.

Which he didn't find anywhere.

No, it couldn't be. Gohan was…?

Frowning, the former bandit concentrated with a renewed vigor, not wanting to believe that the boy he had seen grow up was gone.

But there was nothing he could do. He could search all he wanted, he just couldn't find his Ki anywhere.

Gohan was dead.

"…Yamcha?" Videl called again, not very reassured by the man's expression as well as his silence.

Not daring look at the girl, Yamcha swallowed hard before saying: "I… I'm sorry Videl… I… I can't find him."

Videl held her breath as he finished sadly:

"Gohan's dead."

**To Be Continued…**


	28. Chapter 28

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 28**

She couldn't believe it. Gohan was… No, she refused to believe it. It was impossible. Gohan couldn't be… She refused to even think it. It was simply inconceivable. Gohan was going to come back; he _had_ to. What was she going to do without him otherwise? Without his smile, his voice to soothe her, his arms to huddle up in, his quirky humor to make her laugh… No, she simply couldn't imagine her life without Gohan.

'_You'll have to accept it, though.'_

_NO!_ She yelled in her mind against this disturbing voice, tears welling up in her blue eyes. But she refused to let them flow; she would not cry, because Gohan will come back to her.

She could even picture their reunion: he would smile at her, with that smile she loved so much. Then he would hold her in his protecting, reassuring arms, and would tell her those words she longed to hear again. She would then tell him how she loved him too. How she wanted to be with him.

'_You should have taken your chance when there was still time, then. It's too late now.'_

She shook her head sharply, wanting more than anything to get rid of that voice which despaired her. It couldn't be true. Gohan couldn't be dead!

_Please, Gohan… Come back to me._

oOoOoOo

Vegeta knew what he had to do. He also knew very well what was waiting for him—Piccolo had been perfectly clear about it—but it didn't matter to him. It was their only chance to be rid of this monster, once and for all.

So, getting his final blow ready, the Prince had one last thought for those he cherished the most—Bulma, Trunks, and even Kakarotto—then, with a tearing cry, he let out his power. The force of the blow was phenomenal, but far too intense for his body to handle it. The pain was unbearable, but the warrior did not stop for all that, determined to destroy Majin Buu.

Until his last breath.

oOoOoOo

Dende watched the Earth with a grave expression on his face. He hadn't been able to follow Gohan when he had disappeared, but there was little chance the young warrior had survived. He felt so helpless and useless; he hadn't been able to do anything to save his childhood friend. Nor had he been able to do anything for Vegeta, who sacrificed himself for the planet that he, himself, hadn't been able to protect.

And the worst in this all, it was that despite the Prince's sacrifice, Majin Buu was still running around, with his hideous master, Babidi. They were destroying all the cities in their path, seemingly in search of Piccolo, Trunks and Goten.

All of their friends had arrived in the Lookout, being fortunate enough not to encounter the monsters, who were terrorizing the planet, on their way. Piccolo also came back, carrying Goten and Trunks under his arms, both unconscious. He had told him that Kibito was off searching for the Supreme Kai, who had apparently disappeared before he and the man with pink skin were turned back from being statues. There was little chance to find him, but the devoted body-guard Kibito refused to give up.

Goku had arrived a short time later, telling them what had happened to him during all this time: Vegeta had knocked him out, taking advantage of a moment of distraction from his part. He had then asked them what had happened while he had been unconscious.

"Gohan and Vegeta are dead… It can't be…" He'd said when he was told the terrible news. "Here I thought that the Earth would be safer if I stayed dead, it seems that I was completely wrong; the Earth needs no one to put itself in danger…"

Unfortunately, there was little time left before Goku would have to go back to Other World; their only hope now laid in Trunks and Goten, if Goku could get them to learn the Fusion technique before he left…

Dende had also met, for the first time, this girl who seemed to be so important to Gohan. She was in tears when she'd arrived in the Lookout with Yamcha and Bulma. The latter was in the same state, for that matter. The deaths of Vegeta and Gohan moved them deeply.

The young god pursed his lips as he watched Majin Buu destroy yet another town after having turned its inhabitants into candies. His feeling of helplessness only increased.

_What am I God for, if I can't do anything for them?_

oOoOoOo

Bulma had stopped moping. Her heart was aching—terribly so—but crying wasn't going to help. When she said this to Videl, who's heart was as aching as hers, the girl looked astonished at her. She knew the Briefs heiress to be a strong woman, but how could she stay so wise at such times? How could she keep her head like this when she had just learnt that the man who shared her life was dead?

"You have to move forward, Videl," replied the female scientist. "Besides, all is not lost yet. Don't forget the Dragonballs."

Yes, there was still hope. The Dragonballs could still fix everything. That they would be able to use them or not, remained unknown.

"I believe in Goku," Bulma declared before the doubts of the teenage girl. "Even though he's here only temporarily, I know that he won't let us down. He will do everything in his might to save us." She smiled slightly. "Goku always saves us."

Before the unwavering faith of the Capsule Corp President, Videl surprised herself into believing, too. All was not lost yet. They could still fix everything.

They had to hold out hope.

oOoOoOo

It was the end.

Majin Buu had managed to get out of the Room of Spirit and Time, where he had fought the fusion of Trunks and Goten. He was hungry now, it seemed, and he had found no better way than to turn those who remained in the Lookout into chocolate in order to eat them. One after one, they were changed into chocolate bars, then they were eaten by the monster with no remorse.

"No! Krillin!" Eighteen cried upon seeing her husband changed into chocolate. She rushed, without thinking, at Buu, who was about to eat his new chocolate bar; but before she could even reach him, the female android was transformed into sweets.

"Mommy!" wept their five-years-old daughter, Marron, before being turned into chocolate in turn, while the horrible pinkish creature laughed evilly.

From her hiding spot—which, she knew, wouldn't last long—Videl adverted her eyes with rage, her fists clenched. This fiend had no pity. He killed for fun, to entertain himself. A being so evil, so sick, shouldn't exist. It was so unfair; he, who was such an awful being, could live while all those people, practically all the inhabitants of the Earth, were dead.

And, although she had been convinced of the contrary, she was beginning to believe that even Gohan hadn't survived against the monster. How could he have, after all, when even Gotenks, a fusion of the children who were supposed to generate the most powerful being of the universe, hadn't been able to measure up to the evil creature?

However, the girl told herself that at least once Buu would find and reduce her to the same fate as the others, the fiend wouldn't be able to follow them in Other World and torment them more. At least, once there, she could rest in peace; and, if he was there as well, she could see Gohan again.

It was then that Videl became aware of the silence in the Lookout. She ventured to take a look around, and was both surprised and perplexed to find the place entirely deserted. Could it be that Buu didn't notice that she was hiding? Could he have left without checking for more people to kill? No, it wasn't possible. It would be too good.

But then, where was he?

"You are Satan's daughter."

Videl froze when she heard the voice of Majin Buu behind her. However, what he'd said intrigued her. Piccolo had told her that her father had kind of become friend with the creature, and that it was actually because of this strange friendship that Buu, upon seeing her, had agreed to wait for his opponent to get ready. Could it be that he intended to spare _her_, when he'd killed everybody else?

_As if—this monster has no pity,_ she reminded herself. _He's going to kill me, just like everybody else he's killed. _Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that she was the only one left. This diabolical being slaughtered all of the inhabitants of the Earth: she was all alone in the world.

All because of this freaking gelatinous, pinkish bastard thingy.

Anger suddenly welled up inside her, and the female crime fighter turned around sharply to face the monster. He was staring at her, frowning, as if he were thinking. But the girl noticed none of it; all she could see was the demon who took all of those she loved from her.

_Oh screw it! If I must die, might as well fight with everything I got!_ She then told herself.

Without thinking, she attacked. Her blows obviously didn't have any effect, but God, she felt so much better! Strangely enough, Buu wasn't reacting at all; he just stood there, motionless, with the same concentrated look on his face.

"Your Ki feels like Satan's."

"Why does it matter?" she yelled without stopping, tears of rage flowing on her cheeks. "You killed him, too, didn't you? Why should it matter to you that I'm his daughter?"

The beast gave a strange smile. "You're wrong."

Videl stopped abruptly at that, surprised. She was wrong? Could it mean that… her father was alive?

Still with the same smile, Majin Buu kept on: "Satan is the only one I spared, when I blasted off what was left of the Earthlings."

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, not tearing her eyes off of his.

His strange smile widened, becoming purely sick. "You're his daughter, aren't you? I thought you'd like to know that Satan is alive before dying."

He then moved his antenna, pointing it at her. Videl's eyes widened as she realized that she was living her last moments.

"I've had enough of chocolate. What could I turn you into?" wondered the filthy creature, his smirk still present. "Oh, I know. Into biscuits, of course."

oOoOoOo

"It's… It's terrible…"

At the Sacred World of the Kais, Goku had just witnessed, by means of the crystal ball, the death of the people he cared most about. Sitting on the grass, he clenched his fists on his lap in rage. How he wanted to be able to return to the Earth and kill this hideous monster. Of course, he knew he couldn't, but it didn't stop him from wishing it with all his might.

"Dad? What's going on? Why is your power going up, suddenly?"

Goku turned to the two sitting a short distance away. He opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it. How could he tell his son that Buu killed all of their friends, their family, and even the girl he loved? He didn't have the opportunity to say a word, however, as the person sitting in front of his son, the Old Kai, said to Gohan:

"Keep quiet, you're distracting me."

"But…" tried the young man.

"You want me to awaken your hidden sleeping power, don't you? Then keep quiet and stay focused."

Though upset, Gohan fell silent. How much longer was he supposed to wait? This situation was unbearable. Being able to do nothing without even knowing what was going on in his planet, what happened to his family, to his friends…

_Videl…_

He had a really bad feeling about it. And the way his father reacted as he watched what was happening on the Earth only increased his bad feeling. His felt his heart clench at the thought of losing those he loved.

Or of having lost them.

Gohan closed his eyes tightly, refusing to conceive the thought. He couldn't, and didn't want to imagine his life without his close ones; the idea of it was unbearable.

He had to save them, at all cost.

oOoOoOo

"Are you sure?"

King Yemma, a giant with horns sitting behind a desk fit to his size, didn't need to check his files to confirm his answer.

"Of course I am sure. The inhabitants of the Earth may have all come before me, but I would've noticed it if I'd seen Goku's son. No, I'm sure of it: Son Gohan isn't dead."

_I knew it! He's alive!_ Thought Videl as she was led towards the plane which was to bring her in Heaven, along with the young warrior's friends. They had renewed hope upon hearing the news; if Gohan was alive, then the Earth may not be lost yet.

But a question remained: if Gohan wasn't on Earth or in Other World, where was he then?

oOoOoOo

His second encounter with the pink creature was completely different from the first one. Not only was he immensely more powerful than he had been then, but he never wanted to kill someone so much as he did now.

Buu had decimated the entire population. He had killed absolutely _everyone_. All those innocent people, who had asked for nothing, had seen their lives brutally end.

The freaking asshole had killed Videl. _His_ Videl. She was dead—the love of his life was dead. They were all dead, each and every one of them. He would never forgive him. Ever. He was going to make him pay. He was going to avenge the inhabitants of the Earth. For his mother, for his friends, for Videl—he was going to kill Majin Buu.

He smirked as he thought of the beating he would give to this bastard, of the way his superior look would be erased from his hideous face, only to be replaced by fear. Confident, he approached his enemy until he was facing him, still wearing his smirk.

"Don't tell me… You intend to fight me?" mocked Majin Buu.

"No. I only intend to kill you," **(1)** Gohan stated, certain of his superiority. The monster facing him seemed to find the thought ridiculous, bursting out in laughter as he reminded the young warrior how he'd already beaten him.

And, while the evil creature laughed loudly; while Piccolo panicked, being certain that his former student had no chance of winning against Majin Buu; while Goten and Trunks, thinking the same as the Namek, were getting ready to fuse again to help their elder, Gohan powered up suddenly and attacked his opponent with a flurry of blows which the monster was unable to dodge.

The three watchers were left dumbstruck.

oOoOoOo

Gohan could have defeated Majin Buu, and could have done so easily, moreover, if the evil creature hadn't tricked them and absorbed Gotenks and Piccolo. Same for Vegetto; if he hadn't let himself be absorbed, he wouldn't have lost the union by the Potalas of Vegeta and Goku. And if those warriors hadn't released the fat Buu from their enemy's body, the Earth, perhaps, wouldn't have been destroyed by the entirely evil being that ensued from all those transformations.

In the end, they didn't manage to save their sons and the Namek; they had let themselves be absorbed for nothing, since Gohan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo had died along with the planet. Instead, they had saved Dende, Mister Satan and a little puppy.

It was all that was left of the Earth.

oOoOoOo

The lack of understanding was complete when all of the inhabitants of the Earth found themselves alive and in an undamaged planet; it was as if Majin Buu had never existed. The memory of being killed by the heinous creature was, however, still very vivid in their minds. They even remembered to have been in front of a giant with horns who had decided their fate in Other World. Was it all a dream?

A voice that strangely they could all hear, but couldn't see whom it was coming from, told them that they had indeed been killed by the monster but that they had been brought back to life. The man who was talking pressed the fact that it wasn't a dream and that the threat of Majin Buu was still very present: they were still fighting him, to that very moment (whoever "they" were). Unfortunately, they weren't winning. They needed their help, the Earthlings, to defeat Majin Buu. They only had to raise their arms, he said.

But no one believed this stranger. They simply ignored that voice which they could strangely all hear, convinced that they had all been suffering from a collective hallucination and that Buu never existed.

Vegeta gritted his teeth before the ungratefulness of those Earthlings. Except for their friends, no one, absolutely _no one_ cooperated. He had thought his plan was foolproof, but he had forgotten just how stupid those humans could be.

oOoOoOo

Who would have thought that it would be thanks to Mister Satan that the world would be saved? Of course, without Vegeta who had thought to use the Genkidama and Goku to launch the attack, it couldn't have been possible either; but without Satan they never would've managed to convince the Earthlings to help them defeat Majin Buu, thus saving the universe.

The whole Earth was chanting the name of its hero: wherever you went, you could hear:

"Satan! Satan!"

Gohan gave a smile as he watched the people below, while flying towards the Lookout. This nightmare was finally over and the world was back to normal again—well, as normal as it could be.

Attempting to speed up, the young warrior let out a small sigh; he had given almost all of his energy to his father's attack, causing him not to have enough in order to fly as fast as he normally could. He was so impatient to be there, constantly picturing the reunion with a _certain someone_. It stands to reason that his current lack of speed frustrated him immensely.

As he approached his destination, however, he young man felt more and more anxious at the thought of seeing Videl again after everything that happened. He'd have to tell her about his origins, for that matter… What if she didn't want to be with him anymore when she finds out? What if she didn't want a life with a warrior? Well, that is, if she shared his feelings—of which he was still not completely sure.

He kept on flying, without changing his goal, giving himself some courage. More than anything he wanted to see her again. It didn't matter in the end if they should continue to be just friends. As long as she stayed in his life, nothing else mattered.

"That's the Korin Tower! We're nearly there!" Goten exclaimed happily, flying along with him, Trunks and Piccolo. The little boy was so impatient to see everyone again.

They flew up the tower, arriving quickly to its top, and continued along the magic pole that was linking the tower and the Lookout together. Gohan's heart was racing: it was the moment of truth.

**To be Continued…**

* * *

**(1)** The dialog is probably different in the English dubs or manga volumes, but I translated the French version of the dialog from the 41th volume. Hope you liked the chapter =)


	29. Chapter 29

No, you aren't dreaming. After a year and a month, Secret Heart is finally being updated. I'm soooo sorry for the super long wait, especially since this chapter was written in French since mid-August... T_T I have no excuse, but at least the update is here now =)

Hope you enjoy, I'll translate the next chapter real soon, I promise ^^

* * *

**Secret Heart**

**Chapter 29**

As he flew over continents, oceans, cities, towns, mountains—along with amazing or completely desert landscapes on this long flight which had seemed to him like it lasted an eternity just a few seconds ago—Gohan had readied himself to face every and all kind of situations concerning his reunion with the people whom he considered like family. His father's friends, with whom he had shared so many memories, so many adventures, that they had all become like an adopted family to him.

He must have inherited Chichi's worried nature. After all, his father had never been one to worry about the future and hardly ever thought about it. He lived the moment as it came and was only ever concerned about the future when a threat disturbed the peace. And when it did, Goku faced the danger and fought with all his might, guided by his warrior instincts, but also his will to protect everything he loved in this world. His mother, on the other hand, had always been of a worried nature, fearing for the worst at the slightest delay or every time one of her boys—husband included—was away from her for too long and she had no way of knowing what they were doing. It was really bordering paranoia. As far as he remembered, she had always been like that. Maybe it was because that, ever since his birth, she had had new responsibilities in addition to being the wife of the strongest warrior on Earth, or maybe it was just the way she was, Gohan wasn't very sure. Whatever the reason, Gohan must have gotten this particular, very human trait from his mother.

Usually, Gohan was never or rarely wrong in his predictions of possible scenarios, or at least he could have a fairly good guess of what to expect depending on the circumstances. As a result, he was always ahead of the others, be it in his studies, in any kind of problematic situation he might find himself in, or simply when he had to fight, either for justice or as part of his training.

Yes, Gohan had always managed to never let himself be caught off guard since he had followed Piccolo's intensive training for a year when he was hardly older than a toddler. He may not have trained regularly these past seven years, yet one thing was for sure: his mind, his intelligence, and his willpower had never ceased to increase.

So, when all these people who, only moments ago, had been dancing, singing, laughing, and embracing each other to celebrate this unhoped for victory, when all those he had terribly longed to see again when he was stuck waiting and concentrating on a faraway planet while the Old Kai revealed his hidden power, when all his friends and even his mother froze the very moment he landed gently on the Lookout floor—which had just been rebuilt by Porunga—and stared at him for very, very, _very_ long seconds, sharing the same bewildered expression and not looking away from him… he really didn't expected it.

The young warrior was utterly and completely lost. It all made no sense to him at all. His mother, for instance, should have shoved her way towards him to be the first to hug him close while shouting "my baby!" like she did every time he came back after a long absence. That is how Chichi should have reacted. Yet she stayed silent, looking just as awestruck and stunned as any of the others in the Lookout.

This silence, which was already very nerve-wracking, kept going on and on. No one seemed ready to break it or speak up. Gohan, who was still lost, was very tempted to turn back and fly as far away from this heavy, weighting atmosphere that was starting to make him really uneasy.

And yet, despite the confusion, uneasiness and incomprehension that reigned over his feelings in this very moment, the only things that could betray his current state of mind were his slightly raised eyebrows, and his eyes, which were somewhat larger–a look that could be very well interpreted as mild surprise.

"Hey, what's with the weird looks? Is it Gohan's new looks that's making you look at him like that?"

"My brother's new looks? What are you talking about, Trunks? Gohan didn't change at all! He's just wearing the same outfit as my daddy and he's become even stronger than before!"

"That's right! Come to think of it, if Buu didn't absorb us after the fusion, Gohan would have crushed him in like, two seconds, or even less! He looked so cool when he beat Buu up! Too bad we fell into his trap; we could've used the Earth to try Gotenks' powers out on Gohan after he was done disintegrating Buu! How are we ever gonna train as Gotenks at full power now? That sucks."

Goten shrugged, the answer coming to him like the most obvious thing in the world: "We'll just have to go back to that special room where we fought Buu."

Trunks's eyes widened: "Of course! Goten, you're a genius! We absolutely have to go back in there and test Gotenks's Super Saiyajin 3 powers! No one can surpass Gohan now, we won't find a better opponent to try all our new moves on!"

"Ah, that's right! We didn't even have time to test them all on Buu and there's no one strong enough to fight Gotenks but Gohan! Besides, he's a great teacher, he can also teach us a bunch of new moves! I learned to fly real quick thanks to him!"

"You're right! And he can help us improve a lot, too! Gotenks isn't exactly ready yet, we didn't have enough time to practice in the room…Gohan just has to train us!"

"Yep! We have to become at least as strong as him!"

That was when the two kids turned around in sync to address the subject of their conversation. They looked so excited that Gohan wondered for a second if he really was the cause for this somewhat exaggerated reaction, or if they had too many sweets the last couple days and were in a sugar rush. Then all his doubts vanished as Goten and Trunks talked to him in the same voice, very much like their fusion, asking him if he could train them, at least until Gotenks get to his level and surpass him.

"We'll never be able to get better with anyone else as a teacher; Gotenks is too strong, even for daddy or Vegeta… Come on, big brother, please say yes…" Goten pleaded.

The young man looked over to his little brother, who was putting on his best puppy dog look, and Gohan felt any resistance crumble to nothing. Seriously, he really needed to learn how to resist Goten, especially when the little boy was acting all cute and sweet on purpose to have him go his way. Gohan was pretty sure that Trunks was the one to teach those tricks to his brother—the little squirt was an angel, and if it wasn't for the mini-prince's influence, Goten would've never thought of manipulating his big brother like that. Well, he couldn't really blame Trunks: with Vegeta and Bulma as his parents, it was to be expected. In fact, training them would have a good effect on the boys, it would allow him to put them back on the right track and he would be able to prepare them for their teenage life and then adulthood. That way they would be able to face the social world as half Saiyajins in time. Not like Gohan who was, even he had to admit, completely socially retarded.

"Well, good luck Gohan; you'll need it. Those two brats are impossible to discipline, and it's even worse when they are fused."

Gohan turned his head to see Piccolo smirk, looking very pleased to see the kids offended and protesting what the Namek just said. He immediately understood the true motives of his former mentor when he glanced at the others: their attention was diverted from himself and they were all looking amused at the children who kept throwing argument after argument to prove that they were worthy of the title of talented warriors.

_Thanks, Piccolo._

_You're welcome kid._

ooOoo

During all the hustle and bustle, no one noticed that one of them started to walk away from the group. A girl who, in the end, hardly knew these people and didn't understand half of the things they were talking about. So, she took advantage of the distraction with the kids, Piccolo and…him. The four of them were the center of attention and the teenage girl, who wasn't used to that kind of atmosphere, to be a part of this big "family" thing that was going on, preferred to be by herself so she could calm down her emotional whirlwind that seeing him again had sparked in less than a second.

It was ridiculous.

She had believed him dead, had cried and mourned him to exhaustion, praying to all and any god or divinity to end this nightmare and let her wake up in her bedroom as soon as possible. It had hurt so badly, she had been suffering so much at losing him, that she went so far as to curse their very meeting, the moment she fell so desperately in love with him despite herself, and even all the memories she had of him. And she had had so many regrets concerning him, but also concerning her behavior towards him since their first meeting, months ago. Why had she lost all this time because of her misplaced curiosity? And what did she harass him for, except lose her time watching him from afar instead of spend more time with him, all because her stupid obsession to discover his secrets? And, most of all, why, _why_ had she been so stubborn, proud and _so_ stupid to reject his love when she was completely crazy about him, when she loved him so much that it hurt her terribly and awfully every time he was apart from her? She had no excuses, absolutely none. She knew that he was very much in love in her, that he loved her for herself, and not for her wealth, her notoriety or even to get close to her father. He had probably loved her a little after he first got into high school, and she didn't even accept his friendship, pretending that it was because he was a liar. Who did she try to fool? In truth, she was the liar. She was the coward, the idiot who used this lame secret pretext as an excuse so she wouldn't get too close to him and fall in love. "I'm afraid of being hurt, I don't want to be heartbroken again, I don't want to lose someone dear to me again so I'm being a bitch with the only person who really loves me the way I am, because I don't want to fall in love."

Bullshit. As if it were possible, to not fall under Gohan's charming spell. He was so irresistible that all the girls in their class sighed dreamily while staring at him during class instead of listening to the teachers. And Gohan, of course, never noticed anything with his naivety. So even when one of them would try to hint at him to ask them out, he never got the allusion and the girl would leave disappointed and really frustrated. It was rather comical to watch, but in the long run, the girls at school—because he was really popular among all of them, even in other classes—gave up the idea of one day becoming Gohan's girlfriend, and they decided to simply stare at him and dream of him as their knight in shining armor. Hence the dreamy sighs in the middle of any class. As for Videl, well… She had managed to lie to herself for the first few months that followed the coming of Son Gohan to Orange Star High.

That is, until that fateful day where her whole world, her resolves, her willpower, her entire life, everything got turned upside down in just a few moments. All because of a stolen kiss.

Videl stopped walking, leaning back against the wall of the palace. She closed her eyes, focusing on this particular memory: their very first kiss. She'd been so surprised that day that her eyes had stayed wide open for several seconds before she relaxed, relishing in this new sensation that felt so good. She remembered that she'd thought his lips were very soft… and even if this kiss had been initiated because of a panicked moment, since she had refused to let him go that day, Videl realized today that Gohan had kissed her with all the love he felt for her. And it was his love, which she had unconsciously felt through that makeshift kiss, that had made her respond without a second thought, allowing him to kiss her breathlessly.

Videl focused more on the memory of their first kiss, her eyes still closed. She could almost feel Gohan's arms around her waist, pulling her all against him as the kiss deepened. And, instinctively, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to be as close to him as possible while they kissed without any restraint.

Her body heated up, her heart picked up, and she swallowed hard as she immersed herself completely in her memory.

Gohan's hands… They were rubbing lightly against the fabric of her shirt, very softly, like a caress… a little on her waist, down her spine, to the small of her back, and up again… At the same time, the kiss was becoming softer, more tender, the rhythm slowing down…

Videl recalled having inwardly cursed her lack of air back then. She really hadn't wanted to stop the kiss so soon; instead, she had wished that Gohan would keep kissing her, that he continue his small caresses along her back, that he hold her even tighter against him… She would have wanted him to never stop.

Ever so slowly, Gohan pulled back from her lips, keeping her in his arms, pressed against him. She had kept her eyes closed and was trying to catch her breath, relishing in the last moments of their embrace.

She had felt so happy back then, in those last seconds she was in his arms… It had felt so nice… Every time Gohan held her against him, she always felt so protected and content… One look was enough to have her flustered, and if he smiled to her, she felt like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. With the smallest of physical contact with him, her face would flare up instantly, her heart raced in her chest, and her throat tightened so much that she had trouble uttering any sound. Every time he carried her in his arms before flying off, she always needed a few moments to get her emotions under control, and when he flew with her in his arms, she'd always felt like they were sharing some kind of intimacy… It was as if they were alone in the world, just him, her, and the sky. Gohan flew so fast that she could hardly make out anything around them. So she snuggled up to him, and a content smile would form on her lips while she had fun listening to his fast and irregular heartbeats, no doubt caused by their closeness.

Videl exhaled deeply and finally opened her eyes. She could still hear Goten and Trunks from behind her, though their tone had changed. She cracked a smile—it seemed that Chichi and Bulma were hugging their sons tightly, and the boys were complaining and whining, saying that they were warriors now and that hugs were for babies.

"But you're my baby, my cute little Goten…" was Chichi's reply.

"When you'll start growing a beard we'll talk about it okay, my dear Trunksy?"

Laughter followed from their friends, mixed with the little warrior's embarrassed protests.

Videl looked up at the bright blue sky all around her. How she wanted to fly off, right here, right now… She glanced towards the group behind her, then, noiselessly as to not attract their attentions, Videl walked towards the edge of the floating surface, at the other side of the Lookout.

"Majin Buu has finally been defeated and we were all just brought back to life; you could at least wait for your dad before leaving, don't you think?"

She froze on the spot when she heard his voice, and she swallowed. Her heart picked up, and she closed her eyes in order to calm her turmoil. _Don't break down, _she told herself._ Don't break down, especially in front of him. He can't see me like this, I've cried enough for a lifetime already… I don't want him to see me in such a pathetic state…_

"Videl… are you listening to me?"

_Oh god… his voice, his steps are getting closer… No, don't come, don't look at me, stay behind me… please… don't come any closer…_

She was clenching her fists with all her might, focusing on the pain when her nails broke the skin. It helped her get some control over her emotions, so as to not break down and cry in front of him.

"Look, Videl… I know I was selfish when I told you…" A pause. He sighed deeply.

_Don't say it. Please, don't say it. Not now, please… otherwise I… I'm going to…_

"It's just that…" Silence.

_This is bad… I'm completely frozen, I'm trembling… If he notices… if he gets any closer…_

And then, she was completely winded and her heart stopped beating altogether for a few moments: he was embracing her from behind, holding her tightly against him, his face hidden in her hair… which, incidentally, she hadn't put into pigtails like usual.

"Go-Gohan… Wha… what are you…"

"I'm sorry."

_Huh?_

Taking a deep breath, she asked: "Why are you… apologizing?"

"I'm an idiot, a coward, a liar, I'm selfish… I'm always making you cry… When…" His arms tightened around her, and his voice turned to a whisper. "When… all I want, is to see you happy and laughing."

_Oh no, my eyes are stinging… Damn it, I can feel the tears coming… I won't be able to hold them back for long…_

"I was so stupid."

"It's… It's not true… Everything you just said… is nonsense…"

"Then why… why can't I let go of you? You're trying so hard not to cry that your whole body is trembling, just because I'm holding you against me. You're hurt and I feel it, yet I'm only making things worse. If I was…" He breathed in deeply, and continued in a trembling voice. "If I really was the one who could make you happy… the man you could spend your life with… If I… really was… the one for you…you wouldn't be struggling like that while in my arms."

Gohan didn't say anything afterwards. He didn't move either, didn't pull away, simply kept her in his arms. He wanted to tell her everything, absolutely everything. He wanted to give her his heart, his soul, his whole being. He wanted to stay with her forever, and never leave her again.

Most of all, he wanted to spend his life with her. He wanted to marry her, have a big wedding where they would invite everyone: their families, their friends, some acquaintances, and, why not, the students at school and even the teachers, while they were at it. And before all of them, they would make their love official and start a new life together, just the two of them. Later, once they would be ready, he would've wanted to start a family with her. Have one, two kids, or more, if she was okay with it… He wanted a big family. With always enlivened meals. A lot of noise and laughter around them. Tons of memories that they would make and share together. Growing old together, sharing everything… With her. Only her. No other girl. Ever.

"I love you… so much…"

Lost in his imaginary world, the words came out in a breath without him really noticing. In truth, Gohan thought he hadn't spoken out loud and realized his slip-up only when he felt Videl tense completely in his arms, and then tremble even more.

"You're really… an idiot…"

Were the last words she managed to utter before losing her battle against her emotions. Pain, grief, suffering, sadness, frustration, anger, helplessness, the feeling of injustice, and even the horrible memory of her own death… Everything mixed and invaded her so quickly, so intensely, that Videl would've collapsed had Gohan not held her from falling. Holding her tightly as she cried against his chest, her small hands gripping the top of his orange dogi, Gohan felt so dejected and helpless to see her cry and sob like this that he felt like breaking down himself.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Videl… Please stop crying… Don't cry… It's tearing my heart apart to see you like this… Please, don't cry… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… I didn't even realize I was saying it… Please, please Videl, don't cry… I won't say it again, I swear, I'll never tell you that kind of things again… Just, please… don't cry… I'm begging you, Videl, stop crying… It's killing me… Seeing you like this… it's killing me…"

His voice, his whole body was trembling… And Videl realized that he was in the same state, the same desperate struggle that she herself had been through and lost completely against the tears and sobs that she couldn't control at all anymore. Gohan was struggling to not break down. To stay strong. For her.

Videl tightened her grip on his orange clothing. Then, her eyes closed tightly, she proceeded to breathe in and out deeply. She had to get her emotions under control, starting with stopping crying like a child.

_One… two… three… One… two… three… One… two… three…_

She continued several times, focusing on the pace of her breathing which she regulated by repeating continuously those three numbers in her head.

And it worked. By the thirtieth time, she had completely stopped crying. As for her hands, which had been clenching at the top of Gohan's dogi, they were now relaxed and simply rested against his chest. And her breathing was now even; so much, in fact, that one could be mistaken and believe her to be asleep.

And apparently, that was what Gohan thought, because the young man, who was holding her gently in his arms, began to think aloud.

"Dad, Vegeta and Videl's dad are still in the Kai planet, and Dende hadn't left planet Namek yet. Mm… I guess they are still short on energy in order to come back. Besides, Dende will have to heal them too, they must be in a bad state after fighting Majin Buu… I'm not worried for dad, his power came back at full at the last moment, so he's alright. Mr. Satan seemed fine when he announced Buu's defeat, so I'm not worried for him either. But Vegeta… He must be pretty beaten up from the fight, when he had to hold Buu off while dad collected everyone's energy, he wasn't even Super by the end… He must have taken such a beating… To think he can hardly bear to lose a fight, he's not going to take it well… It's as if it's some kind of custom to take a beating from an overpowered enemy, all of us have it in common, especially Krillin. He and I sure know a lot about overpowered enemies, starting with Frieza. He sure was a monster, even more cruel than both Cell and Majin Buu put together. Thankfully dad arrived back then… He's always there when there's danger and he always saves us, each time. Even today he came back from the dead so he could save me, exactly when Buu decided to stop toying with me and finish me off. Now that I think about it, I still don't know how he can be alive, he didn't have his halo… Ah well, I'll just ask him later, he and the others shouldn't be long now."

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that Videl wasn't sleeping at all, and she heard everything he said. She wondered how Gohan could know with such precision where Goku, Vegeta, Dendé, and her father were. He could even tell if they were alright or not. From what he just said, he hadn't been with them, and hadn't fought the last battle against Majin Buu; and besides, he'd come to the Lookout a short time after the end of the battle, so how could he know so much? And who was this Frieza guy? From what she understood, Gohan and Krillin had fought him and were beaten up pretty bad, and then Goku arrived and saved them… If what Gohan said was true though, if Frieza was really more cruel than Cell and Majin Buu put together… It was probably better that she didn't know about him.

It was then that she realized that Gohan hadn't said anything for a while, and she was still in his arms… Not that the position was uncomfortable or unpleasant, it was quite the opposite actually. Besides, now that she was relaxed and felt a lot better after crying her heart out, she could finally make the most of his warmth as he held her gently. She was tired after those two days of nightmare, she might as well fall asleep now, against him… At least if she did, she wouldn't have to tell him that she didn't fall asleep and had heard everything he had said. Besides, that way, she'd be in good shape in order to face him and finally tell him once and for all just how madly in love she was with him. And she already knew exactly how she was going to tell him, she could even picture the scene…

She would start by yelling at him. "You're really the most stupid of all! You didn't get anything at all, you idiot! Moron! Dumbass!"

As a reply, either Gohan would stay silent and be completely lost, either he'd try to protest and would stutter something. Either way, she wouldn't pay any attention and would continue as such:

"How can you be so freaking blind? Everyone noticed it, all your friends and all of mine too; even your seven years old brother saw it! How is it that you didn't notice anything, when you're so clever in class?"

At that moment, he would be even more confused, still not understanding what she was talking about; and exactly when he would be about to say something, she'd beat him to it and ask,

"You really didn't see anything, huh?"

He'd reply negatively, by shaking his head or speaking with hesitation. Then, she would calm down and say, in a softer voice,

"How… How could you have missed it…? Every time we kissed, every time you held me in your arms… And that night at Bulma's… I was ready to give myself to you, completely, not caring about the consequences… I was dying to be yours…" And finally, she would look right into his onyx eyes and finish: "Do you really think that I would want to make love with you if I wasn't in love?"

Gohan's reaction after that, she was unable to guess. Was he going to jump in joy, hug her tightly, or was he going to be so stunned that his answer would be, "huh?"…? It was impossible to know in advance, she would only know once she confessed her love to him. But for now, she wanted to fall asleep in comforting his arms; besides, he was convinced that she was sleeping for quite a bit now. He wasn't saying anything anymore either…

Ah well, she'd take care of it when she woke up. They had their whole life ahead of them now. She wasn't going to let him go now that she finally had him; she was going to go back to school, see him every day in class, fight crime with him when she'd be called by the police, and then after class, they would spend the afternoon together, just the two of them, and why not the night too… Not necessarily to have sex, after all they could simply sleep in each other's arms… And besides, even if deep down, she was dying to share this intimacy with Gohan, she was perfectly capable to control herself, and he was ever the gentleman, so Gohan would never try anything without her consent.

On the other hand… If he started kissing and touching her like he did that night, at Capsule Corp… He had better finish what he started this time; there was no way she'd let him leave her feeling like an idiot, like that one time! And if for some reason, he so much as thought of stopping before they were done, no matter the reason, she was not going to let him go that easily! If she had to, she would insist so that they finally do it! That's right, that was the price to pay when one was the boy who made Videl Satan desperately in love! So if on top of that, he made her lust for him, well he had it coming!

_You just wait, Son Gohan… You will have it so bad, you won't be able to live without me, you will love me more and more… And I'd feel exactly the same way for you. You just wait, Gohan, because we're gonna be so happy together that it will felt like a dream that never ends. Nothing will ever be able to part me from you, and I have every intention to spend all eternity with you, since I know what afterlife is like now. But for now… I really want to sleep... Don't rack your brain too much in the meantime, okay?_

_Mmm… You're so comfortable…_

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_March 2, 2012-_


	30. Chapter 30

**Secret Heart  
**

**Chapter 30**

Careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms, Gohan got inside of one of the many bedrooms of the Lookout. Noiselessly, he closed the door with his foot, and then went towards the bed across the room. Slowly, the young warrior lay Videl down on the bed and tried to straighten up, but the pretty girl didn't look ready to let go of his neck, snuggling up to him a little more. Gohan blushed slightly, and sighed softly.

"Now what?" he whispered to himself, staring intently at the sleeping girl who wasn't letting go of him. He felt the heat in his face increase as he realized that his face had unconsciously gotten closer to hers; he could feel her even breathing tickle his cheeks. Gohan swallowed, suddenly having the urge to kiss her. He bit his lip as he actually considered doing it.

_What am I thinking? _He mentally scolded himself_. I just made her cry herself to sleep because I told her that I love her, now is really not the time to kiss her. I'm such a selfish fool. I do love her more than anything, but I can't impose my feelings upon her, let alone take advantage that she's asleep to kiss her!_

In the end, Gohan just lay beside her and held her gently against him, burying his face in her neck. He breathed in deeply, drinking in her beautiful scent. After some time, the young man unconsciously started kissing her skin softly, and his hands seemed to move on their own as they roamed slowly on Videl's body, from her hips to her shoulders, rubbing against her clothes.

He suddenly stopped when a soft sigh escaped her lips. His eyes widened and he flared up intensely as he realized what he was doing. He tried to free himself from her grip, but nothing he did seemed to work. In this situation, he only had two choices: either he woke Videl while pulling away from her, or he kept her in his arms and waited for her to wake up by herself.

The teenage boy blushed again when Videl rolled on her stomach in her sleep, now laying completely on top of him. Nervous and embarrassed, his arms tightened around her however, and he swallowed with some difficulties as he took notice of the girl's chest pressed against him. His whole body was heating up, and having Videl wriggle on top of him didn't help at all. And the poor boy found himself with a new problem: due to this sensitive situation, Gohan was becoming more and more turned on.

And it was only the beginning it seemed. Videl, still sleeping, was now breathing out sighs of content and soft moans, most likely having a nice dream. And even if, he couldn't deny that their position and Videl's sighs were far from unpleasant, Gohan was becoming more and more embarrassed and nervous as his arousal kept growing.

He swallowed again. His body was heating up and his heart was pounding hard. _Well, I guess I don't have a choice…_he thought resignedly. _I have to wake her. I'll end up jumping on her if she keeps turning me on like this…_

Slowly, he rolled her on her back. He stayed still for a few moments when he found himself on top of her, his face flushing completely. He moved on his side and proceeded to wake the beautiful girl in his arms.

"Wake up, Videl, I can't get up," he said softly in her ear; he didn't want to wake her too suddenly.

But what she did next made him blush more than ever: she snuggled up against him, rubbing her hands on his sides and chest while moaning a few words…

"Mmhh…Gohan… you're so cute…"

He needed to take a few seconds to calm himself. He decided to free himself from her hold even though she was still sleeping; if she stayed asleep, good, and if she didn't, no matter.

Gohan gently grabbed Videl's arms, which had gotten back around his neck, and tried to free himself without waking the girl. He had some trouble taking them off, and when he finally did, she started to stir.

She yawned and rolled to the side, landing on his chest. She snuggled up to him again, sighing in content as she seemed to fall back asleep. And she was clinging on him again.

"Seriously…" Sighing, Gohan proceeded to free himself again, making her roll on her back like before.

Only this time, Videl wasn't sleeping yet, and she opened her eyes when she felt herself roll on her back by what she had thought was her pillow. She met Gohan's onyx eyes, staring at her while his face turned beet red. The girl blushed in turn; it was truly amazing how much Gohan had changed in only two days. He looked like he was in his twenties now; his facial features were slightly harder, though his eyes were gazing at her with the same tenderness they always had when he looked at her.

And he looked even more handsome.

They didn't move, staring at each other's eyes for what seemed like forever. The lust they felt for one another seemed to grow stronger and stronger, and seeing as Gohan was still aroused, he had an even harder time controlling himself. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to touch her, taste her skin, caress her curves, breath in her hair. He wanted to feel her body against his, without their clothes to bother them. He wanted to lose himself in her, make love to her. She was always on his mind, he wanted her so much that it was becoming terribly painful. He wanted her, all of her; he wanted to make her his. And this desire was becoming more and more unbearable.

It was driving him insane.

Gohan cupped her cheek, placing his other hand on her thigh and slowly moving up along her waist, going by her hip, her stomach, stopping just below her breast. The young brunette under him gripped his orange clothing, closing her eyes as she relished in his gentleness.

He bent down, completely reducing the space between them. He kissed her cheek softly, then slowly moved his lips downwards, focusing on her neck. Their bodies heated up, their hearts picked up, their breathing quickened. Videl let out a light moan when Gohan's hand brushed her chest, before going under her shirt, caressing her skin.

He suddenly froze. His hand was still under her shirt, his lips still on her neck, but he was no longer moving. Videl frowned in frustration. She wriggled under him, wrapping her legs around his waist and massaging his shoulders and back, encouraging to continue what he had been doing.

Gohan groaned and she felt him tense, from head to toe. He tried to free himself from her hold, but it didn't seem to work better than when she was sleeping.

"Vi…Videl, d-don't… raaahh, I can't take it anymore…"

She only smirked, feeling the bulge in Gohan's pants grow bigger by the second; he was obviously turned on by what she was doing to him. In a swift movement, she rolled him on his back, now straddling him. Gohan looked at her in panic, but the lust in his eyes was much more intense, which Videl was glad for.

It didn't matter that it was probably too soon, that she was moving things too fast or that they should wait and talk about their relationship before going so far; nothing mattered now. Videl wanted to be with the man she loved, she wanted him entirely and she couldn't wait any longer. She'd wanted him for too long; she needed him. She was ready. She wanted Gohan to be the first, the only one to touch her. She wanted to make love with him, now.

Gohan widened his eyes as Videl took off her shirt. She then proceeded to unclasp her bra, but Gohan stopped her, grabbing her hands in one of his, so much bigger than her own.

"Videl, no," he said, his eyes closed tightly. If he so much as glanced at her, Gohan knew he would lose the little control he had left and jump on her. And now was really not the time.

"Why not? I'm tired of waiting, Gohan. I want you, I _need _you, and I don't want to wait any longer. Make love to me, Gohan. Now."

He swallowed loudly, trying to win over his lust for the girl of his dreams so he could explain to her why, exactly, it would be better that they wait before going further for now. He opened his eyes and looked at her with regret.

"You know I want you too. I love you, and it's getting harder and harder for me to hold back my lust for you… I think you must have noticed…" he said softly with a light blush across his face, referring to his building erection that was rubbing against Videl's crotch.

"Then what are you waiting for, Gohan? Just stop thinking…" she said sensually, grinding her hips against the teen's hardened member. He held in a moan, feeling his resolve weakening.

"Please, Videl, stop it… I can't think straight when you do that…" he almost begged, having more and more trouble controlling himself.

She giggled, freeing her hands easily from his weak hold, and quickly untied his belt. Before he could protest, or stop her for that matter, she had already taken off the top of his dogi, and Gohan found himself lying topless with Videl on top of him, looking at him with lustful eyes. He tried to tell her to stop, but all that came out of his mouth was a long hiss when he felt her hands slowly exploring his torso.

"Vi…Videl… L-Listen, please…"

His voice trailed off when he felt Videl's lips on his skin; he clutched the bed sheets in his fists and clenched his jaw to stop himself from moaning in pleasure. And from jumping on her, especially. He was on the brink of giving in, and he had to hold back at all costs, especially now.

"Videl, please… aaahh… you're killing me…"

She was licking and nibbling on his skin now… He couldn't take it anymore, she was torturing him…

"M…My dad is back, Videl, and yours is here too," he finally managed to say, stopping the girl who straightened up to look at him. He sighed in relief; he wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer if she'd kept at it…

"Are you sure?" she asked frowning, obviously disappointed to stop so soon. She wanted him so much, right here, right now. Why did their fathers have to return so soon?

"Yes Videl, I felt them appear on the Lookout just now, that's why I stopped," he replied, focusing his eyes on her face and not on her barely clothed chest, only hidden by her bra, which was surprisingly sexy. He didn't think Videl would wear this kind of undergarment…But he shouldn't get distracted now, even though he died to look down at her black, lacy bra that didn't left much to the imagination. How he wanted to take it off; he wanted to grab her breasts and taste them, and he wondered distractedly if he would have the opportunity to do so sometime. Considering Videl's behavior, he supposed that he'd been wrong, that she didn't only wish to stay friends with him and that he had a pretty good chance with her, despite what he'd always thought.

Now wasn't the time to think about those sorts of things though. They had to go back to their respective families and go home. And they needed to clear their minds too, and more importantly, they needed to talk about their relationship before taking such a big step together, even though neither of them wanted to stop so soon.

"Ah well, we'll get back to it later," Videl said, getting up from the bed. She put her shirt back on and went out of the room without waiting for him. It was probably better that they didn't go back outside together, it might attract some unwanted attention from the others, and they didn't want to relive what had happened during the beginning of Bulma's party at Capsule Corp.

Gohan remained lying on the bed for some time, thinking about what just happened, and what Videl had said before leaving the room_. She really wants us to continue later…? Does that mean that she's feeling the same way…?_ He sighed and sat up, running his hand over his face; he could hardly believe what had happened in this room. _Really, she could've told me. I need to know how she's feeling about me…I really hope that it's love, not just physical attraction…_He sighed again, and finally stood. He grabbed the top of his dogi that was lying about, and put on his blue undershirt and orange top, then he looked around for his belt, finding it by the bed, and quickly tied it around his waist. Finally ready to go and face his family and friends, Gohan left the bedroom.

ooOoo

"Sweet pea! I missed you so much!"

Videl smiled despite the ridiculous pet name that her father always called her by. She snuggled up to him and sighed in content; she had missed him too, those past two days. She wished he had been there for her, cheering her up by fooling around like he always did, when she'd thought that Gohan was dead.

It was probably because she was still having trouble realizing that he was really back that she'd all but offered herself to him in that bedroom. Or perhaps it was because Gohan was even more handsome now than when they had last seen each other, something she never thought would be possible. _Nevermind that, _she thought, _we'll eventually do it, sooner or later. I need to control myself better though… he's going to think that I'm some hormone-crazed teen. But he's so handsome and sexy… It's not gonna be easy…_

"Gohan, hey! There you are!" Goku exclaimed, seeing his son come out of the castle.

The young warrior frowned when he saw the fat Buu among his friends and family. His power level skyrocketed instinctively in an instant, attracting the attention of all those who could sense _ki_. And except Piccolo, Dende, Trunks, Goten and Goku, who knew just how strong Gohan had become, they were all shocked by the raw power that emanated from the half Saiyajin.

"What is he doing here?" he asked firmly, not breaking eye contact with the big, pink creature.

"Wow…His power increased again…" Krillin whispered, stunned.

"When did he become so powerful…?" wondered Master Roshi, looking away from Eighteen's behind to stare at the Mystic warrior in astonishment.

"No kidding… Remind me to never tease him again, Puar," said Yamcha to his floating friend, who simply nodded. Even though Puar, like most of the people on the Lookout, wasn't able to sense and tell how strong someone was, they could all feel the thick tension in the atmosphere, created by Gohan's still growing power level.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Buu. That creature had almost killed him; he had turned the whole population of the Earth to some kind of sweet and had eaten them, had destroyed big cities for fun. Gohan stared at him unblinkingly, for a long time; Goku was about to intervene before his son attacked their new ally, but the young man finally spoke.

"There is… no more evil in you. When did you become good?"

Buu grinned and replied happily, "When bad guys nearly killed my friend Hercule, all the evil in me got out, and you fought him afterwards. He had turned me into chocolate and absorbed my power, but you beat him easily."

"I see," nodded Gohan. Then he smiled and added, "Yeah, Piccolo vaguely told me about it. Mr. Satan became friends with you and made you promise not to kill anymore, right?"

Buu nodded his head. "I won't kill anymore. But I want to fight with you and your friends again, we'll have lots of fun."

Gohan chuckled and turned to his father. "We found a great ally this time, didn't we dad? You might not need to fight the next time we have an enemy, with the kids' fusion and Buu."

"You mean… there's going to be more of them?"

Videl's question was met with uncomfortable silence. Of course, except for Cell, she had no idea that Majin Buu was far from the first to threaten the peace on their planet. No one knew how to answer her, not wanting to scare her off if they told her what awaited her in a life with a warrior who had to protect the Earth. Though they may love each other, Videl may not wish to live with a man that might die too young.

"Most likely, yes," Gohan replied, walking towards her. He was staring right into her eyes, his face serious, even though deep down he was terrified that Videl might not want to be with a warrior like him. "My father fought to save the Earth well before I was born, and he kept doing it all along his life; he died twice sacrificing himself to save us. I've been training since I was four to help him, and I eventually surpassed him seven years ago. This is what my life is like, Videl. I'm not just the class' biggest nerd, or the shy boy who fell in love with you since the first day. I'm a warrior, I protect the Earth and its inhabitants, I fight against those who threaten the peace, because it's in my blood."

Gohan paused, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, gathering his courage in order to finally tell her his biggest secret. He hadn't planned to tell her like this, in front of everyone, but it was too late to back down now. He opened his eyes then, staring intensely into her blue depths, now standing right before her.

"To be more precise, I'm a Saiyajin. My dad and Vegeta are the last full-blooded Saiyajins alive, the race being almost extinct today. Saiyajins are alien warriors, the most powerful beings in the universe, with endless potential. They used to work for a tyrant, eradicating the people of the most beautiful and resourceful planets of the universe in order to grow the empire of that monster. But that tyrant, Frieza, decided to get rid of the Saiyajins and their planet, because he feared the legend of the Super Saiyajin. Vegeta and my dad were among the few survivors, and the two others were killed years ago."

Silence followed, weighing down the Lookout at the end of Gohan's explanation, everyone anxiously waiting for Videl's reaction. She was looking at him with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted, seeming completely dumbstruck by this revelation.

"So you are…" she started, but her voice trailed off as she barely realized the meaning of the words that the man she loved had spoken. He smiled sadly.

"I was born on Earth, and my mother is from here too. But my dad is an alien, which makes me half Earthling and half Saiyajin."

Videl felt her heart sink. So this was his terrible secret, which he had been so reluctant to tell her… She could understand his worry, but to think that he had kept this secret to himself all this time, convinced that she would reject him if she knew his true nature…

"Can we… go elsewhere? I need to talk to you, in private," she said in a weak voice, her head lowered. It was all so much to take in at once…

Gohan sighed, running his hand through his spiky hair. "If you want to reject me, just say it Videl. I'm aware that being with an alien warrior isn't very appealing, and I'll understand if you'd rather be with someone who isn't going to go fighting and might not come back. You don't need to go easy on me if you don't want to be with me, I'll survive."

Videl frowned. Yes, this discovery scared her a bit, and it was true that she was having trouble realizing that Gohan was much more different than she'd thought, but she never intended to reject him. Was he really that stupid? Couldn't he see just how crazy she was about him? That she only dreamed of finally being with him and living the rest of her life by his side? Was he blind or something?

"Well I won't," she retorted, her mind set. "You may have not noticed it, Gohan, but I'm completely in love with you. And even if our future is unsure, even if you might die young and leave me too soon, I'm determined to spend all the time we have left with you. And you don't have a say in it."

Gohan blinked, thoroughly taken by surprise by Videl's declaration of love. "I don't have a say in it…?"

"No, you don't. You are mine and I am yours, period."

A gentle smile formed on his lips, and he pulled her to him, placing his forehead against hers as he relished in pure bliss. And as he leaned down to kiss her at last, he forgot that all of his friends, his family, as well as Videl's father were watching them. He didn't pay attention to Mr. Satan, who was being held back lazily by Piccolo and Dende, the later covering his hands over the hairy man's mouth to stop him from yelling his indignation, because the overprotective father was nowhere near ready to let his little girl go, whether she was in love or not. Gohan didn't notice either how his mother's eyes sparkled with tears of joy, or his father's big grin, or that his brother and Trunks had disappeared somewhere to do god knows what. He also didn't see either the smirks on most of his friends' faces, who couldn't wait to tease him about Videl for the upcoming years; although they weren't sure they wanted to face the wrath of the overpowered warrior that Gohan had become. In any case, just the thought of how much Gohan was going to be embarrassed when he became aware that he and Videl had watchers delighted them, and they didn't lose their smirks.

Videl closed her eyes, and felt Gohan's lips kissing her really softly, like a caress. It was so tender, so gentle, so sweet, and it felt just so good… She wouldn't be able to go without that boy now.

"I love you…" he whispered against her lips, before deepening the kiss, holding her firmly against him as he completely forgot about the audience around them.

The two lovebirds lost themselves completely in the kiss, not caring about the rest of the world. Their love was all that mattered, and now that they finally confessed their feelings to each other as well as all their secrets, nothing could drive them apart.

Besides, no one would be stupid enough to try to get in their way: the Mystic warrior would beat them up without any hesitation, that was for sure. And his aggressive girlfriend would no doubt put them through hell.

What a particular couple they made, those two.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
